


Coursing Through My Veins

by CinfulWriter32



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers (2012) - Freeform, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Big Brother Tony Stark, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Babies, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Is a Daddy, Captain America: Civil War, Do Not Take Seriously, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Follows MCU, Grief/Mourning, Hulk's Mate, Humor, Iron Man 3, Life Foundation (Spider-Man), Mary Sue, Original Character Death(s), POV Third Person, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Siblings, Protective Tony Stark, Romance, Sexual Content, Shameless Smut, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Spider-Man: Homecoming - Freeform, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Tony Stark Feels, Uncle Tony Stark, have a healthy sense of suspended disbelief, little brother Peter Parker, not for Loki lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:34:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 128
Words: 399,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinfulWriter32/pseuds/CinfulWriter32
Summary: They fell for each other despite themselves, despite their better judgement. Love like theirs - rooted in passion - was a violent thing. Love that comes suddenly is no less enduring than that which builds over time. But, it is so much more volatile. "Mine. Always..." -Multipart story-





	1. Part 1: It was Always Warm

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mature fic. There will be some citrus in the chapters to come. So please, if you find particular adult situations offensive: Do not read.  
> Disclaimer: I have no rights to anything that has already been published in regards to these characters. It is a fan fiction. I make no money off of this. I only hope to receive a satisfaction of perhaps bringing some enjoyment to others from the words that emerge from my overstressed mind.  
> Be forewarned: I have a deep love of OC's, especially those of the self-insert and Mary Sue category. This fic will contain these qualities. I suggest to not read any further if this is not your cup of tea. I had originally posted this on fanfic net under a different pen name back in 2012 and it's still there. It is a very long story broken into seven parts so far and still going. I have been updating it a lot recently but fear the story may be lost so I am posting it here as well. I'll update chapters as I go along. I hope you enjoy it. Story summary is a quote from a Loki/Darcy fanfic called Funny That Way. Highly recommend reading.

_Enemy_

_Familiar friend_

_My beginning and my end_

_Knowing truth_

_Whispering lies_

_And it hurts again..._

**Fight Inside** _-_ Red

-o-

-Part 1-

Chapter 1: It was Always Warm

It was always warm in her dream.

She could feel his breath upon the back of her neck and his strong, firm hand holding her in place against him.

" _Mine..."_

That is all that he would ever say, a deep growl of a word that sent shivers up along her spine. His hand would tighten around her hip as he brushed up against her, his arousal always clear.

" _Mine..."_

She would say nothing to this. She would only have a breathless anticipation of what was to come. He was big, both in body and spirit, and filled with raw emotion that always set her off. Her own primal urges emerging from depths of her mind in response to him was always surprising, though why she could not say.

She was cursed with her own demon. One that would rise up at the slightest hint of anger or irritation. Her demon responded to him, urging him on, crooning to him in an almost animalistic language that he seemed to understand. He could sense her excitement, her anticipation, and he loved it.

He was used to fear from others as she was. They both understood the demons within them and to embrace that part of themselves, at least with one another, was an outlet that they both craved for. Within each other, they could give into what the primal part of themselves craved for...

"MINE!"

It was at this moment that she would feel his growl grow into a roar against her back, the large muscles of his torso vibrating. He would slam up against her, his hardness urgent and insistent. She would feel a purr emerge from her throat, her heart beating hard against her chest as she willingly gave into the primal urge of this unique mating dance...

-o-

Anamaria gasped as the chirping tone of her disposable phone broke through the remnants of her dream, shattering whatever images that had played through her mind. She took in a shuddering breath, feeling the heat that coursed through her veins slowly receding to the constant dull ache that remained at the base of her neck. She allowed a few minutes for the heat to fade away, allowed her heart to calm in its fast beat.

She couldn't get excited, she couldn't allow herself to feel such a thing. It was getting harder to fight the emotions her dreams brought out in her now. That part of her was craving for something, something she could not allow herself to give into. Ever since that ill-fated trip to Germany...

She pushed those thoughts away, waiting for the moment her body regained its normal temperature and pulse. Once her heart finally began to beat at a steady count of sixty-two per minute, she sat up in her bed and reached over to grab the phone from the night stand.

_Ana, meet me at the café down the street. ~Mama_

She stared at the text for a few minutes, wondering why her mother had not simply stopped by their apartment. She must have made a few discoveries from her contact last night. Sighing heavily, she tossed the phone back on to the night stand and got up to make her way to the bathroom that was next to her bedroom. Once inside, she glanced at herself in the mirror that spanned the width of the wall to her left, catching her reflection as she went to turn on the shower.

Her normally tan skin seemed slightly pale this morning and the bags under her brown eyes were an indication to a poor night's sleep. Her curly, copper brown hair had undone itself from the braid she done the night before and now looked like a bird's nest. All in all, a typical morning look for her these days.

What made her heart nearly stop was the sight of the prominent red veins on the sides of her neck. They were slowly receding but it was sign of how close she had been to losing control in her sleep. She could not even fathom what might have happened if...

She closed her eyes against her own reflection and stripped herself bare, feeling ill at ease in her own skin. She could not think of it. She had to meet her mother at the café and decide what new course of action was to be taken place now that she had been seen. Her mother had spent all night with a trusted confidant of theirs in perhaps finding a way to keep them under the radar of the people who had seen her in Germany. She couldn't risk to be seen again...

-o-

"You have had those dreams again, haven't you?" The woman who asked the question bore a thick French accent about her words, the question itself sounding more exotic to the ears of those who were not used to it.

"Hello to you too, Mama..." said Anamaria as she leaned down to kiss the older woman against her cheek.

She took a seat down across from her mother, folding her hands down upon her lap as she glanced around the small café they were sitting in. It was a quaint little place in Midtown Manhattan, not too far from the newly renovated Stark Tower. It was a place where one could pull up a wooden chair or plop down on a plush couch and enjoy a fine cup of coffee or tea. In this particular case, Anamaria found her mother had been enjoying a cup of chamomile tea before her presence had interrupted.

At the age of forty-eight, Sidonie Brandt was still a handsome woman who could turn a few male heads. Her raven black hair, with a few strands of silver striking through, fell in a long silky sheet down around her pale, heart-shaped face and toward the middle of her back. Her pale blue eyes, rimmed with long dark lashes, were a stunning feature that helped to enhance the clear feline grace of her lithe body. How ever it had happened that this woman had become the mother figure in Anamaria's life was something she could not even begin to fathom. Indeed, if one were to look at them they would not have seen any sort of familial relationship in their looks but it was there in the way they interacted.

"Ana," said Sido, switching flawlessly into her native French as her pale blue gaze focused on Anamaria's brown ones. "I see a hint of redness about your neck... These dreams have been getting worse."

"It's nothing Mama," she said dismissively in her own unique accent of French, her Hispanic heritage shining through her words, as she waved her hand to emphasize the point. "Nothing has changed. I haven't had an incident in over two years before what happened in Germany."

Sido took a sip of her tea before placing the cup down carefully upon the table. She took in a breath and let it out in a soft huff. "It was my fault I suppose. If I had not been there at that function perhaps you would not have been mixed up with those... people."

Anamaria could feel the anger rising at this and swallowed a few times to calm her rising heart beat. "Mama, do not blame yourself. That... that _creature_ would have harmed you and those people. It was a blessed thing that I was there to help you all."

"But at what cost Ana?" Sido studied her daughter, noting the prominent red veins of her neck peeking out from underneath the loose copper brown hair. "You are constantly on edge now. You can barely sleep much less control yourself. Those people had seen you for what you are! It is only a matter of time before they begin to search for you and then the L.I.F.E Foundation will not be far behind."

"I have better control now Mama, you know that. I had not killed a single innocent during that fight in Stuttgart. The only one who had been harmed had been that inhuman creature who meant _you_ harm. Perhaps those people who had taken me might have been hurt but... I remember very little after the change..." Anamaria sat back against her chair, looking slightly at a loss. She couldn't remember much but there had been _his_ scent that lingered on the plane. _He_ had been there, that feral male that called to the most primal part of her. The only thing she clearly remembered was her demon meeting _him_ for the first time. Oh the sweet tension...

She couldn't remember what had happened between them though. The next thing she could recall was waking up in a heavily forested area somewhere... However, the flashes could not be forgotten. She had seen him fall, disappearing into the clouds from that floating hell... Her mate...

"It does not matter at this point," said Sido, reverting back to English as she sighed heavily, pulling some bills from her purse and placing it on the table. "We have to keep moving as we have before. We have not survived this long to fail. I have found a place where we can hide for a time. It will be risky but Yann has says that this man is trustworthy."

Anamaria gave a nod in agreement as she rose up from the table with her mother. There was much to plan and much more to think of. Who knew where this path would take them now? She was afraid. Her mother was afraid. They both could admit that. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered again.

Lost in her own thoughts, Anamaria followed her mother outside the café and listened as her mother mumbled in French to herself about what they could and could not leave back in their apartment. She smiled at her mother fondly, glad that she had been blessed with at least one person in her life that had cared for her well being. She stepped out to the curb to hail a cab, raising a hand as well as showing a peak of an abdomen that was all soft curves and caramel flesh from under the hem of a short white sleeveless blouse.

A yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them, amidst the honking protests of passing cabs and other cars. She held the door open for her mother to enter the cab, watching as the older woman was staring up at the sky with slight disbelief. After a moment, Sido rushed forward and pushed her daughter out of the way. "Ana, move!" She cried out in pain a split second later, a bright blue piercing shaft of light connecting with her back.

The smell of burned cotton and flesh reached Anamaria's nose as she reached out to catch her mother, trying to keep her from colliding with the pavement. Her mother was a skinny woman and her weight did not register with Anamaria as she helped her to lay down to the ground. There was so much blood...

A haze of heat flooded her senses and she could feel the prominent point of that heat at the base of her neck flaring up at the sight of her injured mother. "Mama!"

"Ana, you must keep control. Do not let my injury set you off. Please, _mon ange!_ "

"They hurt you Mama... They have _hurt_ you"

It was too late.

She could feel the burning as it slowly coursed through her veins with each passing heartbeat. Her anger had risen beyond her control, as it had that night in Stuttgart. However, her mother had merely been _threatened_ then. Now...

"My Ana, please," said Sido, grimacing under the pain of her wound. "If you must lose yourself... Please, do not harm any innocents. Just _protect them._ "

_Protect them..._

She glanced up and around, catching the sights of inhuman creatures scaling their way down the surrounding buildings, firing their guns which emitted the same blue laser that had harmed her mother. A few more were flying about in hover vehicles, firing at anything and everything that moved. There were even enormous monstrous creatures, flying their way down and slamming into the sides of the tall buildings. They all seemed to be emerging from a portal that had opened up in the sky right above Stark Tower.

The more innocent lives that were taken by these creatures... The worse it would become. These creatures all bore them same intent...

With a scream of agonizing pain, her heart pounding too fast to count, the red veins showing prominently against her caramel skin and flowing down to the very tips of her fingers and toes, Anamaria gave into the demon within her and exploded.

With a sickening, painful crunch that touched every muscle, sinew, tendon and bone in her body, Anamaria began to change. She became leaner and taller, her muscles were all sinewy grace as the red veins remained prominent with every passing moment. Her eyes, once brown, now bore a startling glow to them and her irises could no longer be seen beneath this glow. The red patch of skin, that was a constant feature at the base of her neck, was now glowing a fearsome red as Anamaria's scream turned into a frightful sound.

Her scream had become inhuman, a sound of pure pain, terror and absolute anger. It was a tortured sound that was amplified as she clenched her red veined fists and let go of her pent-up energy. It took only a moment but one after another of the creatures that had made their way down the buildings and on to the street surrounding her within a 20 foot radius began to spontaneously combust into flames.

Their screams of torment were music to her ears as she glanced around her, watching as they ran and fell in their haste to put out the flames. She glanced up at the buildings ahead of her, seeing them as they climbed, flew and simply emerged down from the portal above the Stark Tower.

_Protect the innocent... Protect them._

Mother was absolute. She would listen to Mother. She had to protect...

With a growl that rose from the depths of her torso, she stumbled a few feet away from her mother's trembling form. She rubbed her feet against the pavement, her low heeled shoes melting away at the point of heat that emerged from the red veined skin. When she could feel the pavement beneath her flesh, she rubbed her feet once more against the rough surface before the point of contact exploded with a ball of flames, propelling her up into the air and straight into the oncoming path of an alien hover vehicle...


	2. It was too Crowded

_What I fear_

_What I try_

_The words I say and what I hide_

_All the pain I want it to end_

_But I want it again..._

**Fight Inside** _-_ Red

**-o-**

Chapter 2: It was too Crowded

_Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany_

_Two weeks prior..._

It was too crowded in here.

All of these people, the social élite of the scientific field, were gathered in the main hall of the museum. The star speaker of the evening was Dr. Heinrich Schafer, whose leading research into the physics and biochemistry of iridium, cast him under the spotlight at this moment in time.

Sidonie Brandt was an invited guest of the doctor's. She was dressed in a black evening, strapless gown that fell long about her ankles. A simple translucent, black scarf was wrapped about her shoulders to cover the pale, lily white flesh. She had unofficially aided in the doctor's research with her experience as a geneticist. She had come out of respect for her friend and colleague. She would not have been seen in such a social gathering otherwise. At least not with her daughter.

Anamaria Brandt stood close to her mother, looking ill at ease in the formal evening gown she had had to don for the occasion. It was a simple dress, dark maroon in color, with thin straps for support. The thin silk-like material did little to hide the full figure that she possessed. She was a short woman but where her height lacked her curved figure made up for in spades. Thanks to her Hispanic heritage, her body was what one would call voluptuous as opposed to her mother, who bore a more lithe body frame.

Her copper brown hair had been left loose to fall in slight curls about her neck, but not for any choice in style. It was a necessity. She was scanning the crowd in an almost agitated way, her survival instincts kicking in. There was something in the air that was setting her off, some tension that was plucking at her very nerves. Every once in a while, her hair fell away to show the faint red lines of curving veins that seemed to pulse back and forth along with her heartbeat. The veins grew from a point at the base of her neck, a faint red area that, at the moment, resembled a sun burn.

Sido noticed this and reached out to brush her fingers down along Ana's bare arm. "Ana, are you all right?"

Anamaria glanced at her mother, studied her pale, heart-shaped face for a moment, before she shook her head. " _Non_ ," she said, "There is something wrong but... I don't know what. Something is here that means to harm."

"Where?" Sido knew better than to disregard her daughter's unease. It was because of her heightened awareness of threats that they had survived this long.

There was a moment's pause as Ana scanned the crowd, watching those who milled about the large statue of a two-headed bull, looking as if nothing was amiss. They were listening to Dr. Schafer's lecture and did not seem as agitated. They did not sense the danger. She let out a huff in breath and looked at her mother. "Everywhere. This power it- it's not anything of this world," she trailed off at this, the spot at the base of her flaring slightly. The demon within recognized the threat. She had met something like this before though no memory came forth.

"Go outside Ana. Take a breath of fresh air and see if you cannot find a sign of what is making you feel uneasy." Sido rubbed her daughter's arm in a comforting gesture but her own instincts were flaring up. After nearly thirteen years of being on the run, having the daughter that she had, it was not surprising that she would develop a heightened sense of danger of her own.

Sido watched as her daughter left her side at once, gliding her way through the crowd with practiced ease and murmuring a few words in German by way of apology if she had managed to bump into someone. It was generally a male, dressed in a black suit or tux, stepping deliberately in Anamaria's path in hoping in gaining her attention. She merely responded with an apology and brushed passed them without a second glance. There were some single gentlemen in that hall that had been left disappointed...

Sido could only laugh softly at the men's failed attempts at getting her daughter's attention. None of these men even came up to the standards of what Ana would have found as adequate. The demon in her ruled her primal instincts, which in turn dictated her behavior toward the opposite sex. That primal part of her would not find any of these men to be worthy of her time. They were too weak. Her primary concern was that of the survival of her pack, which consisted that of herself and Sido. Ana could not afford to fall into some age-old need for mating, at lease not with these men. She needed someone as strong, if not stronger, than herself. One who could prove themselves to be her equal and her protector. All in all, she craved for what any woman looked for in a man.

For Ana, it was a much more difficult and more primal need.

A few moments had passed since Ana had disappeared through the front doors of the museum. Sido began to move toward the doors, a subconscious call in her mind that urged her to follow her daughter. It seemed to become a more prominent feature within the last few years. Sido had no special powers of her own. She was no enhanced individual or human that had been in an accident to give her special abilities. She had simply cared for the life of another and ran away with that life to protect as her own. Since then, a strong connection had blossomed between them as a familial link, binding them close and protecting them in their need for survival. The demon within Ana recognized Sido as Mother, the leader of the Pack, one to protect at all costs as the giver of her life.

It was this connection that saved Sido from being trampled by the mob that ran for escape five minutes later.

A man had appeared, a strange dark-haired man who had gracefully descended the steps behind the podium that Dr. Schafer had given his talk from. He was a lithe man- all tall, dark and handsome of face- that had knocked out the security guard with a blow to the head with his cane. He then rushed to the doctor, grabbing him by the back of his neck and forcing the middle-aged man toward the statue of the two-headed bull in the middle of the hall.

The crowd had gasped and screamed as the stranger flipped the doctor with one hand on to the flat back of the statue, demonstrating a strength beyond that of any man in the room. He held Dr. Schafer down with one arm, transferring his cane to the hand of that arm, as he reached into his coat and pulled out a contraption of some kind. With one shake of his hand, the contraption split apart into three separate modules, the main module glowing in the center with an eerie blue light.

There was a slight pause in which the man stared down at the doctor and the doctor up at him, disbelief evident upon his face. The dark-haired man simply smiled as the main module of the contraption revealed a series of blades that began to spin. Without a moment's hesitation, the dark-haired man thrust the contraption into the eye socket of the doctor. The sound of flesh grinding beneath metal blades, of terrified screams of pain, were drowned out by the screams of the crowd as they all began to run away in fear.

Sido was one of the first out of the door, thanking her lucky stars that Anamaria had sensed this inhuman creature beforehand. She had been helpless to save her friend, it was a situation no mere human would have hoped to win against. Her daughter may have a chance...

Once outside the building, the crowd began to gather in the courtyard across the street. There were some who had enough sense to run for their lives, but the majority of them lingered with their fellows. Their thoughts were simply a herd mind now: Safety in numbers. So many were staying in the courtyard, perhaps it was safer?

Sido knew better than this. She remained along the edges of the crowd, not because of any misguided notion of safety in numbers. As far as she could see, they were a herd of sheep waiting for the slaughter. No, she waited for her daughter. She knew Anamaria was around.

Waiting... Watching...

It didn't take long for the dark-haired man to emerge from the doors of the museum. He walked casually and with a golden glow about his form, his clothing changed. He was dressed in what appeared to be ancient, dark armor. A long dark green cape framed his lithe form. However, the crowning affect of his appearance was a golden helmet that bore long, curving, golden horns. He looked like a gilded devil.

He walked his casual walk, the sounds of a siren from the local police force was silenced as a single patrol car was stopped in its tracks by a beam of light from the man's glowing blue scepter. He continued in his strut across the street to the courtyard park across. With a cry, the crowd began to run in one direction, only for the man to appear in front of them.

"Kneel before me," was all he said.

They tried to run into a different direction but the man appeared before them once again. No one heeded his words, they simply wandered about aimlessly, looking for a way out. The man had had enough and slammed the butt of his scepter to the ground, the surrounding images of himself keeping the crowd where they were. The glowing blue ball of light at the tip of the scepters were menacing and it fed upon the fear of the crowd.

" I said... KNEEL!"

The startled crowd, unable to think for themselves of what to do and in fear of their lives, slowly began to kneel before the dark-haired man in the golden helmet.

He allowed a pleased smile to touch his pale features. "Is this not simpler?" he asked in English, walking forward through the crowd while his mirages stood vigil over them. "Is this not your _natural_ state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you _crave_ subjugation! The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end... you will _always_ kneel."

At that moment, an elderly native of the city of Stuttgart rose to his feet, after saying a prayer to God above for strength. He stared at the gilded devil and frowned, his weathered features showing all kinds of disapproval. "Not to men like you," he said, his English heavily accented with his native tongue.

The dark-haired man simply smiled as he lowered his scepter and shook his head. "There are _no_ men like me."

"There are _always_ men like you," said the old man in reply.

The dark-haired smiled in a condescending manner as he nodded toward the elder. "Look to your elder people." He held out his scepter as the blue ball of light began to glow more fiercely. "Let him be an example..."

" _Non,_ " said Sido, rushing forward to divert the man's attention from the elder. "Do not harm him. Not if you wish to it to be your last mistake." She did not know why she had rushed forward to the man's aid. Perhaps it was the maternal instincts within her that craved to protect any innocent life, no matter the age. Perhaps it was because of the urgent call that pulled at her, that connection between herself and that of Anamaria. Her daughter was near and cried out for the man's life...

The dark-haired man looked at the woman who had come forth, an easy smile sliding across his pale face. "Is that so madam?" He pointed his scepter toward her, the blue light threatening. "And do you mean to stop me yourself?"

Sido stood straight and tall as she wrapped her scarf about her pale shoulders. " _Moi_? I am but a mere woman... _Non_ , it is not me you need to fear at this moment. If you continue your foolish escapade, it is your own stupid decision."

The man began to laugh as he started to walk toward Sido, his menacing gaze staring straight through her. "How do you suppose my rightful ascension as the ruler of this world means to be a- how did you say- 'stupid decision?'" He had copied her French accent flawlessly but the sneer on his lips did not add any charm to the words.

"I could not answer that for you," said Sido as she edged herself away from the man, sensing the rise in anger and the particular power of heat that could only belong to her daughter.

"Then perhaps you should not speak if you do not wish to be made an example of," said the man as he raised his scepter toward Sido.

It was the mere movement of threatening the woman that had caused a sudden explosion in front of the gilded man. He was thrown backward toward the crowd, who had scrambled away in their haste to avoid being hit by the demon. He shook his head in surprise, the ball of flames not the reaction he had expected.

He glanced up from his bowed place on the ground, his hands and knees feeling the brunt heat that had assailed him. He was a god but he could still feel pain should the assault be strong enough.

The sight that greeted him was not something he had been expecting either. He was thinking that one of the others would come, either the Soldier or the Metal Man. This one was not one of theirs.

It was a female, that much he could discern. She was a dark-haired creature that resembled a human and yet appeared to be too tall and too sinewy in its form to be called one. She stood well over six feet tall and her long limbs, that were not covered by the dark maroon dress that graced her lean torso, showed many prominent red veins. Her eyes were a glowing yellow that revealed no pupils or irises, they were blank orbs that revealed only a mad rage. She stared straight at the gilded man in the golden devil helmet and let loose a fierce growl that vibrated from the very center of her torso.

Sido began to laugh a little as she glanced at the demon that was her daughter. The heat that emanated from her tall and sinewy form was enough to bring a sweat to those around her. "I told you it would be a stupid decision. Of course, when does a man listen to a woman?"

The question was not answered as the creature began growl even worse, the gilded devil now rising from his prostrate form to stand on his two feet. "What is this? A dull creature?" He laughed in a spiteful manner as he held tightly to his scepter. "This is the savior you fall upon? Some mutated woman?"

"I suggest not to get her madder than she already is," said Sido, a fond smile playing upon her lips.

"And is that some form of threat?" asked the man, a condescending smile touching his. "If it is meant to make me frightened madam, I suggest a better tactic."

He held his scepter tightly as the creature clenched her red veined fists. A moment of tension passed before the man cried out, "Enough of this! Stand aside you stupid, feeble, female!"

That was the spark.

That was all it took.

Her scream of rage bellowed out, bringing many of the crowd to their knees in fright as she suddenly charged forward in an explosion of fire that emanated from her feet. The man was caught by surprise at how quickly she moved. That surprise was his mistake because she had reached him in a mere second and slammed her fists against his chest, the contact igniting another explosion of fire that he could feel through the layers of his armor.

He was thrown back through the crowd- who had now began to realize that running for their lives would be their safest bet- and was slammed against the low wall of a nearby fountain. The creature had come after him and had pounced upon him to lay a heavy fisted punch against his mouth. He took the first blow, having been caught of guard, before he blocked her second punch with his palm.

He squeezed down upon her hand, in an effort to break the appendage but was surprised that the seemingly fragile bones did not even creak beneath his grip. Thinking quickly, he reached out to pick her up and threw her across the now empty courtyard.

She tumbled only once before she flipped over to land upon her graceful bare feet. She studied the man before she let loose a roar that, despite its female origins, sent a shiver up the man's spine. Her roar had subsided to a hideous scream that emerged from her throat as she charged forward, an explosion of fire constantly emerging from her feet to give her the boost of speed she needed.

The man kept check of these moves as he moved his scepter to his left hand, noting the clear fire based moves that she possessed. He could sense there was something alien about this creature. Not of the woman herself but of the power that emanated from her. He didn't hesitate in his thoughts and was ready for her the moment she charged at him. They were both thrown back across the courtyard and he managed to grab hold the creature's slender neck with his right hand.

"You will kneel before me, you witch of a beast, in one way or another."

He supposed that they may have been the wrong words to say the moment he was able to to reflect on the fight later on. The hand that held her neck began to burn in a way he had never felt before. Her own hands, the long red-veined graceful fingers, had gripped his wrist and her growl had become deeper. With a sickening series of pops, the red veins in her fingers began to pulsate, stretching the very flesh, muscles, tendons and bones as they began to grow longer. They continued to grow, the fingers curving and becoming harder, sharper, until all that remained were long red claws that had began to cut into his flesh. Her growl became a banshee like scream as her claws ripped through his flesh, cutting down to the apparent god-like bone. The burning that emerged from the wounds was severe and his flesh flared up as if it caught an infection.

He cried out in surprise and threw her away from him, her claws ripping away the flesh along with her. She was thrown back and rolled away a good distance from him in the courtyard. A safe distance. He cradled his hand as he stumbled back in shock. How had a mere creature harmed him? How had it been possible?

His thoughts were violently cut short as a blast of energy caught him straight in the middle of his chest, catching him off guard. He was thrown back and slammed against the several steps of the courtyard that led to the street. This was not the burning heat of the explosive projectiles of the creature. This was man-made. It didn't hurt any less but it didn't bear the terrible heat that that's creature's attacks inflicted. He could deal with this kind of onslaught.

He took in a deep breath only to hold it in shock as he heard a voice emerge from some electronic speaker or device. "Make a move, reindeer games."

He glanced to see the Metal Man in front of him, his metal suit armed with a barrage of weaponry, all aimed at him. Of course they would come, that had been the plan. However, the fight with that- that female _thing-_ had been unexpected. His getting wounded by such a creature had been even more unexpected...

He held up his hands as his golden helmet, armor and cape all faded away until he was in nothing but the evening suit from before. His eyes glanced from the Metal Man to the Soldier, who had landed down beside his comrade.

"Good move," said the Metal Man, his weaponry folding back into the various hiding places of his suit.

The dark haired man said nothing. He glanced from the two of them to the female thing that was still growling and snarling several feet away. Apparently, she saw these men as a non threat since she did not attack them.

"Mr. Stark," said the Soldier as he glanced at the dark haired man before looking back at the creature, whose eyes were solely on the god.

"Captain," said the Metal Man in reply, his gaze focused on the man before them and yet, his scanners were focused on the female creature behind them. Was she human? An enhanced? Whatever she was, she had made their job a hell of a lot easier tonight.

The Soldier turned toward the creature and held out his shield slightly while showing his free hand in a gesture of peace. "Ma'am, thank you for your help." He took in a breath, this terribly tall, lean woman with the red-veined, caramel skin reminding him of a rabid creature just waiting to attack. "Can you understand me?"

The creature turned her glowing eyes toward the Soldier before looking at the Metal Man. She studied them as her tense form began to calm and relax. She let loose the softest of breaths and to the men's amazement, she began to shrink in size. The prominent red veins of her skin began to recede and she became shorter in stature. Her lean form began to fill out as it got shorter until all that could be seen was a petite, full-figured woman in a tattered maroon evening gown with loose copper brown hair and red shot, brown eyes.

She stared at the Soldier for a moment before she took a step forward and only to nearly collapse. He quickly moved toward her and caught her. She stared up at the Soldier, whispered something in French, before unconsciousness took her.

The Soldier stared down at the woman in his arms before he glanced back at the man she had fought before they had decided to interfere. The dark haired man was staring with pure hatred at the woman as he nursed his wounded right hand. The edges of his wounds were flaming as if they bore an infection. What had this woman done? What was she?

"Mr. Stark, any clue as to who this woman is?" The unasked question actually being _what_ was she.

"I have no idea," said the Metal Man, the tone in his voice apparent confusion.


	3. She Looked So Normal

_And it finds me_

_The fight inside is coursing through my veins_

_And it's raging_

_The fight inside is breaking me again..._

**Fight Inside ** – Red

-o-

Chapter 3: She Looked So Normal

She looked so normal sleeping there in one of the seats of the jet.

When Black Widow aka Agent Romanoff had the jet hovering in the air above that courtyard, she could not believe that the female creature that had fought with Loki was actually a human woman.

The woman had held her own against the god of mischief, moving so quickly about the courtyard that the agent could not get a good target. The Captain had hesitated from joining in the fray at the order of Nick Fury. Apparently, this creature was not something that SHIELD had seen before and they had everything on file in pertaining to potential threats to national security.

This creature was not in their files.

Fury had ordered the agents to stand down, wanting to see exactly what this creature was and what she was capable of. The fight had been spectacular. She had an affinity for combustive, explosive attacks, even using explosions to gain a boost in speed or height since it did not seem to harm her. It had only been at the moment when she had been caught about the neck by Loki, and looked to be defeated, that Fury finally gave the order to intervene. He had seen enough. It was time to keep to the plan. This creature, whoever and whatever she was, had done a well enough job at keeping the Asgardian busy.

Captain America had left the jet the moment it had been able to hover low enough without being detected by the god or the creature. It was as he had left the jet, ready for battle, when the female creature had pulled off one last trick. Her hands had begun to mutate and grow, looking like red claws. She had ripped into the skin of the hand that held her neck with little trouble. She had managed to wound the god in a way that had caught even him by surprise.

Apparently, there was more to her than one could initially see.

Loki had cast her away from his person, cradling his wounded right hand, only for the Iron Man to emerge from the skies to blast the Asgardian into submission. The PA system of the jet had been overridden at this time and the sound of AC/DC's _Shoot to Thrill_ had played out into the night.

Loki had surrendered, his wounded right hand evidence to the unmistakable harm that the female creature had caused to him. It had been when the Captain had thanked the creature for her assistance, and asked if she understood him, that the creature became a woman.

She seemed to relax at the sight of Captain America and reverted to her apparent human form. She had taken a step forward, only to fall in a faint. The Captain had caught her, being the chivalrous man that he was, and had no idea what to do with her. He had hoped that Tony Stark would have found some answers, since he was a man of the times, (so to speak) and had access to such information from his suit. The Iron Man could find nothing on the female before them.

It had only been on the order from Fury to take the woman with them that settled the apparent confusion. They were to take her back to the _Helicarrier_. She was to be closely watched in the case that she awoke. Judging from the fight alone with Loki, she was a creature who was ruled by a feral nature. If anything were to set her off in an unpleasant manner, say bringing her to anger or irritation, if she were to feel threatened, then the creature might emerge again.

She sounded like a familiar case the Agents knew well enough. The constant threat of that creature was enough to set mostly everyone on edge. The _Helicarrier_ even had a specially made prison for it, just in case things became less than peaceful. This woman might find herself within that prison instead of its intended.

Thankfully, she did not awake.

Not with Loki being so close.

Not even when another Asgardian had attacked the jet and stolen their prisoner from them.

She remained peacefully unaware of all that went on around her.

It was only when Captain America had been equipping a parachute onto his person and was making his way to the rear of the jet to disembark, that she began to stir. Captain America paused in surprise as the woman let out a low purr, the sound so out of place from a human throat. Her brown eyes were open and unfocused, but they seemed to follow the Soldier as he made his way past her. He glanced at her, noting the red veins of her neck pulsing, ebbing and flowing with every beat of her heart. She did not transform into the creature, she simply smiled at him in a way that was too intimate to be normal.

What had he done to elicit such a response from her?

She didn't say anything, she simply closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

The Soldier let out a breath in relief. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her angry, for whatever reason, just before he left the jet.

-o-

"Dr. Banner, I need you to take a look at these files. Study them carefully and come back to me with a plausible answer as to what we're dealing with."

Dr. Bruce Banner was sitting in the extensive laboratory that belonged to the floating SHIELD base known as the _Helicarrier._ He had been working on improving the instruments that helped to track the gamma radiation signals of the Tessaract when Nick Fury had strolled in.

Fury was a middle aged African American man that was keen to wearing all his clothing in black, as what seemed to be expected of his position. His head was clean shaven, save for a goatee about his mouth, and he wore a single black eye patch on his left eye. He was a person that no one could or would want to come across, not with the access of information he had as the head of SHIELD. Despite this head position, there were times when even he could not find out everything.

Dr. Banner glanced up at the man as Fury placed a touch screen device down on the table before him.

"And, what is it exactly that I'll be looking at?" Dr. Banner asked, reaching out to take the device and setting it on the computer panel to load the data onto the main display in front of him. Bruce Banner was a man of quiet intelligence and even a shy demeanor. He looked to be in his late thirties with wavy dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. If one were not familiar with his past, one would not have even thought he was capable of harnessing such a destructive force known as the Hulk within his very genes.

"Just study the footage. I need to know if this is an alien, an enhanced individual or... someone like yourself." He turned away from Dr. Banner and started to walk way. "I'll keep digging around. A creature like this couldn't possibly have gone under the radar without bringing some attention to itself." He didn't wait to hear a response from Dr. Banner. He simply left the lab and made his way back to the bridge of the ship.

Dr. Banner stared at the door Fury had gone through before pulling his glasses from his face and pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He took in a breath to calm himself before reaching out to the hologram keyboard in front of him to access the files Fury had left for him.

It was a recording of a battle that had happened a few hours before in Stuttgart. Dr. Banner watched from the beginning as Loki, the Asgardian they had been after for the Tesseract, was claiming his dominance over a group of frightened people in a courtyard. It was the moment that the cameras of the jet Agent Romanoff had been flying picked up the form of an unfamiliar creature.

Dr. Banner watched in fascination as a woman, who had stood beyond the edge of the crowd, began to emit a pulsing red glow. The cameras of the jet recorded in several distinct signatures and infrared was the one of them. Where the regular cameras could not pick up the woman at the edge of the crowd, the infrared film had caught a pulsing heat emanating from the base of her neck. It had been the moment that Loki had threatened another woman, who had risen to the defense of an elderly gentleman that Loki had originally been threatening, that the woman had changed.

She had grown taller and leaner in her stature. No one in the crowd had noticed the change since they had been so focused on Loki. Not even the Black Widow and Captain America had noticed the creature on the edge of the camera, so focused were they upon the interaction between Loki and the other woman who had come to the old man's aid. She had changed in her form, red veins prominent against her skin and growing toward the very end of her appendages. She continued to grow taller and lither until she had suddenly twitched in agitation and a combustive ball of flame had thrown the Asgardian back.

The fight that commenced was unlike anything Dr. Banner had seen before. This female creature, who apparently bore the combustive powers of explosive flames, was holding her own against a being that no mere human had ever experienced fighting before. The tall, sinewy form that growled, snarled and roared her defiance pricked a part of his conscience that he had tried to keep in check for over a year.

The Other Guy had become interested.

The female had fought until Loki had apparently taken her within his grasp by her neck.

The Other Guy did not like that and Dr. Banner could feel a tremble of rage tightening itself in coils in the pit of his stomach. He took in a few breaths to calm himself. This was a recording but still... The Other Guy hadn't reacted this way toward another since... Well since _then_.

Even with Fury's voice speaking over the recorded sound of the film, Dr. Banner's eyes could not move away from the female that made one last defiant stance against Loki. The red veins of her hands had begun to pulse and, with a strange evidence as to how far her abilities could go, her fingers had elongated into fierce red claws. She had cut into the flesh of the hand that had held her and the Other Guy was quick to show his pleasure, a pleased feeling warming the very insides of the good doctor. This female could hold her own.

It was the moment that Loki had thrown her away from himself that the anger again began to rise. The Other Guy did not like the female to be handled in such a way... No, he didn't like it at all...

Dr. Banner had to pause the video, his heart rate had been growing steadily since he started watching the film and his control was beginning to slip. How in the world could watching the video of some mutated woman begin to set him off so quickly?

It took a moment for him to regain his control before he began to play the video file again. It was at this point that the fight was intervened by the Captain and Iron Man. It was only in their presence that the tall, sinewy, feral female began to calm and revert back to the human woman she had been before.

She was a short woman, though full figured, and with her back to the camera of the jet, he could not see her face. Still, she looked so _normal_ now, so unassuming. She had taken a step toward Agent Steve Rogers before falling in a faint, the Captain reaching out to catch her before she had fallen to the ground.

Captain America had asked Iron Man if he knew who the woman was.

Tony Stark had no answer to give.

It was at this point the footage had stopped and the file ended with a close up shot of the female creature. It was the only good frontal shot Black Widow's jet had taken of the female. In her angered state, she was very tall in comparison to any average female of the human race, with dark hair and glowing yellow orbs for eyes. The snarl on her lips was frozen in this picture, the red veins that were prominent along her body seemed to come to a thickening point at about the base of her neck.

Was she an enhanced? Was she a human who had been unfortunate enough to be blasted by some radiation to create the creature he saw now? He had no idea. He had never seen such a thing in all of his research in gamma radiation. He wouldn't know until he saw the woman for himself and could run some tests. It was almost a scary thought. The fact that perhaps he was not the only one afflicted with a destructive demon within... Perhaps this woman was like him. It was a comforting thought. Too comforting for him.

Despite the confusion this woman had brought for the members of SHIELD, one thing was clear. She had caught the Other Guy's attention. He had- no, he _needed-_ to know what had become of her. It was clear that SHIELD must have taken her custody. Such a power she possessed was something they would not let go unchecked. After all, they had been tailing him all this time, despite his hopes of remaining under the radar. Fury would not allow her to run free now that he knew of her existence.

The only question was would she be brought here to the _Helicarrier?_ Oh goodness, he hoped so. He had to meet her, whoever she was. The very thought seemed to bring an unusual feeling within him. Perhaps it was because he, and the Other Guy, were finally in sync with their thoughts. They were both in agreement that they had to meet this woman, no matter what.

For Dr. Banner, it was for the potential of finding another like himself. For the Other Guy... Well... he just wanted to meet the fiery, female. She looked like she would be a lot of fun...


	4. The Lights Were Blinding

_It's still the same_

_Pursuing pain_

_Isn't worth the light I've gained_

_We both know_

_How this will end_

_But I do it again..._

**Fight Inside** – Red

-o-

Chapter 4: The Lights were Blinding

The lights were blinding the moment she had opened her eyes, her consciousness slowly emerging from the darkness that had claimed her. She quickly shut her eyes against the stabbing pain through her head that followed. Ugh, that was not a good idea...

She could feel that she was in a rather firm bed with itchy sheets that pricked at her exposed skin in an annoying manner. The fabric of the clothing she wore was not the smooth finish of the imitation silk of her evening gown but the stiff feel of starched cotton, it felt like standard issued scrubs. Someone had changed her clothing.

A slight groan escaped her lips as she tried to remember what had happened. She could remember stepping outside of the museum, taking the time to scout the immediate area while trying to calm her frayed nerves. It had only been a moment. She had only been gone for a moment before all hell had broken loose. The screams, the pushing crowd, and finally the source of the unease that had set in since the beginning. The creature that had set her demon on edge.

She couldn't remember much after he had threatened her mother. It was only a red haze that she could recall, her anger having risen beyond the point of her control...

What had happened after?

For that matter, where was she? Was her mother safe?

Oh god, she hoped her mother was safe...

"Good. You're awake."

She jumped in surprise at the sound of the voice, her muscles screaming in protest at the sudden movement and her cry of pain breaking the silence that followed. She was stiff. The joints of her fingers ached. She only felt this bad after an episode if she had almost fully changed. Had the fight against that dark haired man been _that_ bad that the demon had found it necessary to mutate her body further?

Her question was unfortunately answered as another pain erupted from her stiff muscles in protest to further movements.

"Do you speak English?" The voice from before asked, a male's voice from the sound of it. "Can you understand me?"

Anamaria opened her eyes for a second time, this time the fluorescent lighting from above not blinding her. She had been under lights like these before. She glanced around the room, finding it to be a sterile environment. All white walls, white floors, white lights... Oh yes, she had been in a room like this before. She didn't like it. It reminded her too much of that other place. It reminded her of those other people who had tested and prodded and probed and provoked.

Except, there was a difference.

She was not restrained to the bed and she was not blinded. It was this distinct difference alone that kept the demon in check. If it had been the other place, she would have been tied down tightly with a mask to cover her gaze to keep her from lashing out to potential targets. She was quite prone to causing spontaneous combustion within a living human that had plucked her nerves the wrong way. Apparently, whoever these people were did not know that.

Her brown eyes finally fell upon the only other person in the room: A tall, bald black man with a dark goatee, dressed in black clothes, with a black eye patch over his left eye. He was watching her with his single dark eye, his features stern and unreadable. He stood at opposite end of this sterile room, close to the door, with his right hand close to the gun at his side. She glanced at the gun, knowing that it would do little to stop the demon if she were provoked. However, the demon remained at peace.

She apparently found this man nonthreatening, for some odd reason. Ana would not go against what her instinct deemed as safe enough. She took the freedom that she was given to slowly move into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the protesting pain of her muscles. A pulse of warm heat emerged from the base of her neck in response, a soothing relief tinged with a regretful emotion. The demon had given an apology.

The healing warmth spread throughout the rest of her body and she let out a sigh in relief. She glanced at the man but did not respond to his question. Apparently, her face had given away what her words did not confirm. He continued to speak in English to her.

"My name is Nick Fury. I am the head of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division." He could see the confusion on her face at the long title and he allowed a faint smirk to touch his lips. "We're also known as SHIELD."

The confusion cleared away from Ana's face, the neutral expression that touched her features was a clear sign that she understood the words Nick Fury spoke. She also knew what SHIELD was. They were the bane of the existence of that _other_ place. She had escaped from one prison only to be thrust into another.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before a large international agency such as SHIELD would catch wind of her. To be honest, she had been surprised they had not caught wind of her before now. She had been on the run for the past thirteen years. Throughout those thirteen years, she had lost control for a total of seven times, which included this recent event. Before this change, each event in which she had actually lost control of her anger, she had killed many innocent lives.

Being able to cause spontaneous combustion within a human body at the mere thought was not something she was keen to admit to.

"I can see that you know who we are. The question I would like answered is: Who are you?"

Ana stared at the man, her brown eyes were blank. No emotion touched her face. However, within her chest, her heart was beginning to pound.

 _Oh please... Please do not lose control_.

She did not want to take another life if there was no justification for it. Thankfully, her demon did not respond. Her demon simply remained as tranquil as the flame of a single candle. It brought light and slight warmth but no direct threat could be attained from it. Not unless there was a fuel source to ignite it. Thankfully, there was none at this time.

Anamaria remained silent and watchful. She did not respond to Fury's questions as to who she was, where she had come from and how her _condition_ had first been brought about. She remained silent. She had learned a long time ago that silence was her only weapon against such people as this. They wanted answers. She would not give them the satisfaction.

Her only concern was that of her mother's safety. Until she was able to find a way out of this place, wherever this place was, she would not respond in any way. Not if she wished to avoid taking more lives...

-o-

The interview was being broadcasted toward another area of the ship, the bridge to be exact. Several other "remarkable people" (as Fury had so eloquently described in regards to this team once) were sitting about a large conference table that was a shade of gun metal gray. They were watching monitors that had been built into the surface of the table, the footage of the interview being heard and seen loud and clear. These prominent figures were: Agent Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. An attractive woman with short, vibrant red hair, a creamy complexion, and a skin tight black outfit that left little to the imagination. Agent Steve Rogers, Captain America- the ideal American golden boy. He had classic handsome features, dirty blond hair that was cut in a clean classic way and bore a deep loyalty to the government agency he worked for. Thor, the fabled Norse god of thunder. He was actually an Asgardian who came to Earth to retrieve his lost, adopted brother to bring back for Asgardian justice. He was tall, strong, and fair-haired and bore a golden tongue that seemed more at place within a Shakespearean play.

The last, but certainly not the least, was Dr. Bruce Banner. He was a man who needed no introduction, not when the entire SHIELD staff of the _Helicarrier_ feared the beast within him. Not when they had made a special prison just for him... Just in case.

At this moment in time, the prison was being used to hold Loki in check. They had decided to not place the woman there, not after the fight where she had proved to have protected the people against Loki. They didn't know her or what she was truly capable of. They were giving her the benefit of the doubt, at least if it meant to keep that mutated part of her from emerging.

Despite the many questions that Fury asked of her, she did not respond to anything. She simply stared at the man with a blank look upon her face. The group about the table watched the encounter with some interest but none were as interested as Dr. Banner. He had been hoping she would respond to Fury, just to get a good idea of who the woman was beneath the feral creature he had seen. She kept her indifferent, silent air about her until Fury finally gave up and left the room.

The monitors blinked off and the group stared at one another.

"She's cautious," said Agent Romanoff, the slight frown on her face showing her confusion. "She won't be telling us anything anytime soon."

"How do we even know she speaks English?" asked the Captain, his eyes focusing on his colleague before reaching out to point a gloved finger to the monitor. "Before she blacked out, I remember she had spoken in French. She had asked if her mother was all right." He glanced at the others as he sat back in his chair. "She didn't battle Loki until he had threatened a particular woman in the crowd. Perhaps that woman was her mother. If we can find her mother, bring her here to a safe place perhaps that might help to gain her trust."

"Well, you seem proficient in the language Steve," said Romanoff, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Why don't you go talk to her? You were the one to catch her after all."

"She can understand the English language just fine," said Fury, walking into the bridge and stopping just short of the table. He glanced at all of the people assembled. "She knows who we are and she will refuse to talk until something can convince her otherwise." His single eye settled on Captain America, reaching around to fold his hands behind his back. "You do make a valid point Captain Rogers. If we find that woman who had stood up to Loki before the fight started and bring her here, that may just open communication up a bit."

"Do you know where the mother could be?" asked Thor, his interest in this woman was minimal at best. The only thing that was cause for concern was the fact that she had been capable of physically harming his brother. That kind of damage could prove a real threat to his realm.

"We'll search the guest list for that function. That woman's name would be listed somewhere along with her daughter's." Fury let loose a sigh before he glanced at Dr. Banner. "In the meantime, Dr. Banner I would like you to resume interrogations with the woman."

A slight jolt of surprise and elation was Dr. Banner's only reaction, his soft brown gaze traveling about the room in an uncomfortable fashion before they settled on Fury. "Me? Why me?" He pulled off his glasses and began to toy with them in a nervous habit. "It probably wouldn't be the best of ideas considering-"

"You won't be alone," said Fury, the tone of his voice unmistakable. Dr. Banner was, and always would be, on constant watch. There were precautions that had been made; so far the good doctor had been keeping himself in check. If he could be this calm then there shouldn't be a concern for him to meet the strange woman. "I'm asking you because you are the only one aboard this ship who would have a chance at breaking through to this woman."

The words left unspoken were there for those who understood. This was an unknown creature who had been provoked to attack. The video file had been proof enough that this was a woman who could cause unspeakable damage if aggravated enough to spark her change. A situation that Dr. Banner could understand all too well...

Dr. Banner slipped his glasses back on and folded his arms across his chest, his shirt stretching taunt against his shoulders. "All right, but I won't be held responsible if anything were to set her off."

Fury smiled at this, finding the words that the doctor spoke to be a little on the ironic side. "No worries doctor. Just be sure to be on your best behavior. You do that and things will be just fine."

-o-

She wasn't sure how much time had passed since the man named Nick Fury had left the room. She had been left free to her own devices, something that in the past would not have been the smartest of moves. However, she was trying her best to not take advantage of that. She didn't want to be a mindless beast of rage. Thankfully, the demon within her had been surprisingly quiet despite her current predicament. It was this calm that assured her that she had nothing to truly fear.

Some moments after Fury had left, Ana had gotten up from the bed to stretch her stiff and aching body. The room was a fair size so she could walk about to get the feeling back in her limbs. The red veins were pulsing against the sides of her neck but they were relaxed and faint against her caramel skin. This was her normal state, her restful state.

She scanned the room and noted the camera that had been hidden in a tight corner, obscured by all of the white. It was only a tiny prick hole of a camera but it was there. There was probably an audio feed somewhere as well. They were watching her and, if she had her guess, very closely. Were they hoping she would change? Well, that would not happen anytime soon. Not with the way her demon was pulsing with pleasant feelings of warmth every now and again.

It was a strange thing. She had never felt that part of herself feel so... at ease. At least not without the presence of her mother.

More time had passed, exactly how much she could not say. She had found herself back on the bed by this time. She was lying on her back across the width of the bed, her bare feet propped up against the wall and her head hanging over the edge. Her copper brown hair had fallen down to the white floor and she had begun to count the crevices of the panels in the ceiling.

Just at that moment the door to her room had slid open, the sound of footsteps alerting her to another visitor. The moment the door slid closed behind the visitor, and she was sure there was no one else with them; she glanced up to see who was here this time. Her brown eyes caught sight of a man with wavy brown hair, soft brown eyes and a kind smile on his face. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. He wore a simple shirt that was a deep purple in color, it conformed to the shape of his broad shoulders and chest rather nicely. A pair of dark brown slacks adorned his legs, these too conforming to the shape of his body in such a nice way.

"Er- Hi there," said the man, his kind smile twitching just a little in nervousness. "I hope I'm not bothering you..." He was shifting a bit, his nervousness making him slightly agitated.

Ana turned over from her position and rested on her belly. She stared at the man, a peculiar feeling now growing within her. The demon within her began to emit several pulses of pleasant heat, an incessant pulsing that thrummed from the very base of her neck to spread out toward the rest of her. There was something in the air, a stronger scent. It was something she had come across recently though that had been a faint echo of what she sensed now. It was emanating from this apparently quiet, unassuming man.

The demon liked it.

This was what had kept her so at ease. She could feel that he had been near.

Her other self was entranced by this man.

-o-

Dr. Banner could only stare at the woman, the silence she had given in response to his greeting not surprising. If she had actually returned his greeting, he would have been shocked. "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner," said the doctor, unsure of how to break the silence that stretched between them. He was never good with interacting with others. Why Fury would assume he would manage to get through to this woman didn't make sense. However, he had been hoping for this moment since he had seen that video. Now, here she was before him in all of her normality.

She had sat up from her restful position on the bed, her legs tucked up underneath her. She was quite a pretty woman in her normal form, something that the video had not been able to show. Even in person, and dressed in those sterile white scrubs, her figure was as full as the camera had shown it to be. Her brown eyes were focused intently upon him and Dr. Banner felt as if she were looking straight through him.

He slipped his hands into the pocket of his slacks, another nervous habit of his, as he studied her in turn. It was at that moment that he could see the red veins pulsing at the sides of her neck, matching in time with her heartbeat.

There it was. The physical sign of her inhumanity. The one pluck that caught the attention of the Other Guy and a feeling of triumph emerged from the depths of his psyche.

The fiery, female was here. At least, she was here buried deep within the woman.

Dr. Banner tried to ignore the Other Guy and focused on the brown eyes of the woman.

It was this that had caused him to relax. It was also the sight of those red veins, and the memory of the feral creature this woman was capable of becoming, that caused him to see her in a different light. She was like him. That was why he was here now. He had wanted to meet another like him.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm here," he said, moving a few steps closer into the room. Her sudden tension brought him to a stop but he did not back away. Instead, he sat down on the cold, white floor and glanced around. "This room is too white," he said as looked up at the fluorescent lighting and squinted up at them. "The lighting doesn't help..."

A soft huff a breath caught his ear and he glanced at the woman to find her full lips twitching softly. She was trying not to laugh. That was a good sign. He relaxed a little more and allowed his smile to show.

Another few moments of silence had passed but this time it was a comfortable silence. They were getting a feel for one another, trying to see past what was before them. Both were trying to ignore the sudden urges their other selves were throwing at them, a primal urge that was beginning to make the tension rise in the air...

When the tension had come near its breaking point, the woman let out a soft sigh as a shiver went through her body. The red veins in her neck pulsed with her rising heartbeat. She looked at Dr. Banner and licked her full lips, a motion that caught his attention like nothing else had before.

"My name... is Anamaria," she said, her English bearing a slight accent that sounded to be a mix of French and something else. "It is nice to meet you, Dr. Bruce Banner." She glanced up at the lights before a soft smile appeared and she leaned forward, looking as if she were to divulge some secret. "These lights are blinding. You are right. It makes the room too white."

Dr. Banner stared at Anamaria before his smile gave way to a soft chuckle...


	5. Why Are You Here

_And it finds me_

_The war within me pulls me under_

_And without you_

_The fight inside is breaking me again..._

**Fight Inside** \- Red

-o-

Chapter 5: Why Are You Here

"Why are you here, Dr. Banner?"

Dr. Bruce Banner could only fidget with his glasses as he stared at her, having not moved from his position from the floor. The sound of Anamaria's accented voice brought a sense of something he never dared allowed himself to feel. Not since Betty...

Attraction.

It had been prodding at him since he had seen the red veins pulsing on the sides of her neck. The Other Guy wanted to get closer to her. He had seen that the red veins had become more prominent the closer he had moved to her before sitting down on the floor earlier, as if she had been anticipating his closeness. There was something hovering in the air between them, a hungry aching need that pulsed and throbbed with tension.

He could admit it to himself: He was physically attracted to her. She was a short woman, looking to be no more than a few inches over the five foot range, but the heaving bosom beneath the thin material of the white top of the scrubs she wore showed that she was all voluptuous curves. It must have been cold in the room, (he would have to assume so or to think otherwise would have begun to drive him beyond his current control) since her breasts were taunt. Two peak points were evident to how thin her clothing must have been.

He averted his gaze, trying not to focus on her breasts and stared at the prick hole of a camera in the corner of the room. "I- I wanted to," he cleared his throat, trying to loosen it from the sudden tightness that gripped it. "I wanted to meet you."

Anamaria seemed surprised by this but he had caught her attention further, her deep brown eyes focusing on him intently. " _Moi_?" she asked, inadvertently switching to her French before she caught herself. "Why would you want to meet me?" She tilted her head slightly, her copper brown curls falling about her shoulders and hiding the red veins from view.

A prod from the Other Guy caught his attention and he looked up, seeing that her hair had fallen about her neck to hide her distinguishing feature. The Other Guy did not like that. _He_ wanted to see _her_ , the fiery female that had snarled and fought and defied...

He ignored the Other Guy as best as he could but it was becoming harder to with each passing moment. The tension in the air was thick; even he could see that Anamaria was having a hard time of reining in her other self. The red veins were now growing down past her neck, past the limit of her thick copper brown curls, and appearing on her collar bones. The sight of the red veins appearing once again seemed to calm the Other Guy and a contented feeling filled Dr. Banner.

Was the fiery, female aware of that part of him?

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, afraid of the attraction showing in a much more physical part of him. He slipped his glasses back on and paused, looking thoughtful. "I wanted to meet you because of who you are..." With a cautious move, he pulled out a small hand held, touch screen device from his pocket. He touched one key upon the screen and the screen blinked to life. He held it out, the video file from the fight in Stuttgart playing.

The sound of roars, snarls and growls emitted from the small speakers. Ana stared as if transfixed to the small screen, seeing her other self fighting Loki. When the file ended with the still shot of her demon, looking as evil as any nightmare from hell, she closed her eyes against the sight and shook her head. "Shut it off... _S'il vous plaît_... Turn it off!" She thrust her hands into her hair, the red veins now growing from her shoulders down to her upper arms. "I am not a devil! I am not evil!"

Dr. Banner instantly knew he had done the wrong thing by showing her that footage of her other self. He quickly got up from his spot on the floor and moved to sit next to her on the bed, despite the heat that was starting to roll off of her in waves. "You're right Anamaria, you're not evil." Carefully, with surprising gentleness that caught even himself off guard, he reached out to pull her hands from her hair. He pulled her hands down and held the both of them in one larger hand while he held the device out to her. The video of her other self fighting Loki had begun to replay.

He glanced at it and then at her. "This is not evil Ana," he said, "You had the power to protect those people from someone with a greater strength who wished to harm them. You chose to protect them and you did. That is not evil." He shook the device in hand, his gentle brown eyes growing suddenly fierce. " _That_ is good."

A soft laugh escaped her as she shook her head. " _Non,_ that is but one event. The other times... The demon had no interest in protecting others aside from herself and Mama. The others were threats..." She took in a deep breath, her brown eyes shining with unshed tears as she glanced up at him. "Is that why you are here? To find out about the demon that took so many innocent lives?"

Dr. Banner didn't respond. He simply focused his attention on the hand held device, his broad thumb moving expertly across the screen. It took a moment but another file was pulled up and a sudden, deeper roar emitted from the small speakers...

-o-

Anamaria was staring at the small screen Dr. Bruce Banner held. The small device was showing another video. This time it was of a huge, strong, green humanoid creature that was smashing its way through army tanks despite being shot at from various guns. It roared as it grabbed one tank and lifted it from the ground with apparent ease. It was huge, muscular and filled with a masculine energy that caught the demon's full attention.

 _There_ he was! What she had been sensing all this time. The physical part of him that was raw and strong. The heat from the base of her neck began to pulse at an incessant beat of pleasurable warmth. The very fact that this strong creature in the video was sitting here on her bed and holding her hands in his larger one in comfort...

The demon within her was crooning to her to be released. She had to meet _him._

_Oh!_

He was such a specimen of pure, feral masculine strength...

She took in a shuddering breath, trying to ignore the pulsing heat of her other self as she looked at Dr. Banner, her brown eyes slightly wide with awe. "That is... you?"

Dr. Banner swallowed and glanced away from her, looking slightly ashamed and very nervous. "That is not me. He's something else. Everyone else here calls him the Hulk." He stared down at the screen and frowned, his soft brown eyes growing slightly disgusted. "I call him the Other Guy..."

"He is the other you," said Ana, her grip tightening upon his hand. "He is the feral part of you that everyone fears and does not wish to understand."

Dr. Banner glanced at her, surprise evident on his face at her choice of words. "I don't want to think of him as being me. _That_ ," he said as he moved the device, shaking it once more in his hand to emphasize his point, "is not me."

" _Oui,_ " said Ana as she reached out and touched the screen, finding the back button to the previous file. Her demon self emerged on screen, all red veined, yellow eyes and snarling. "Just like _that_ is not me."

Silence fell between them, heavy with sudden understanding and the pulsing need their other selves were constantly throwing in their way. The air was heavy with a primal, sexual tension and a very human want of wishing to understand.

"Dr. Banner," said Ana, moving away from him and rising to her feet to keep a good distance between them. Her demon cried out in protest at the distance, a sharp pain erupting from at the base of her neck. She winced but ignored the protest. "Why are you here?"

Dr. Banner was silent a moment, staring at the picture of Ana's other self before he reached out to touch the screen. The file of his own demon played out before him and he watched it, a deep frown upon his face. He finally shut off the device and let it rest on the bed. He pulled off his glasses, fondled them for a thoughtful moment, before he stared up at her, his soft brown eyes filled with an aching loneliness and need.

"I needed to see that I wasn't alone," he said, glancing back down at his glasses as he began to fiddle with them between his large fingers. "I _needed_ to know that I wasn't the only one who held a monster within and still wished to do good."

Those simple words plucked something within Ana, the sudden need to comfort him overwhelming her. This wasn't her demon urging her. This was her own very human emotion shining forth. She took in a deep breath and let loose a soft sigh. She walked closer to him and sat back down on the bed beside him. Her chest heaved with a fighting need to keep the tears down as she took his glasses from his nervous hands. She opened them as he looked at her in surprise and carefully slipped them back onto his face.

" _There is nothing to fear except the powers you give to your own demons,_ " she said, a soft encouraging smile playing upon her lips. "That is what my Mama always told me." She reached out to take his larger hands in her own smaller ones. "There is good in you from what I can see. The mere fact that you comforted a stranger when she craved and _needed_ to hear it... That is a _good_ thing, Dr. Banner _._ "

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he stared at her as if he never had seen anything like her before. The tension had been rising once again the moment she had drawn closer to him. The physical contact from their mere hands alone starting something that neither felt in control of...

"Dr. Banner," said a gruff voice, speaking through the speakers of a PA system that was not visible, though it surrounded them. It broke the emotional and sexual tension between them, shattering it like fragile pieces of china. They both jumped apart from one another, forgetting that in that moment that they were being watched.

"You're needed on the bridge Dr. Banner," said the gruff voice once again, sounding more like the man named Fury now that Ana was listening. The voice did not speak again and silence fell, this time as uncomfortable as the first.

"I... have to go," said Dr. Banner, though his tone was hesitant. The Other Guy was protesting. He didn't want to leave his fiery, female. Not when she was so _close._

"I understand," said Ana, trying to ignore the sharp pains her demon was giving in terrible, protesting waves down throughout her spine. "You work for an agency that feels they own you." She kept her face as blank as possible as Dr. Banner got up from the bed and walked toward the opposite side of the room where the door lay. It slid open but he did not leave right away.

He glanced back at her and studied her more closely. "I'll be back."

Ana smiled in response but said nothing. She simply stood there and watched him as he left the room. The door slid closed and locked behind him and she was once again left alone. She let loose the breath she had been holding and her smile fell away.

_What had that been just now?_

She turned away from the door and moved back to sit upon her bed. She gently set herself down but not before her hand brushed a piece of metal and glass. She glanced down and found the hand held device that Dr. Banner had brought in with him. Surprised that he had left it, she reached out to touch the screen.

It powered right on and the first file it had pulled up was the video of the large, green, masculine feral self of Dr. Banner. The one he called the Other Guy.

Her demon began to relax at the sight of the large male that had caught her attention. The pains of protest becoming warming pulses of pleasure as Ana watched the Other Guy rip and tear through another tank, his deep roar touching that primal part of her in a way she had never known.

_Mine._

That was all her demon would allow to come forth in her mind as she watched the video over and over.

_Mine..._


	6. His Body was Protesting

_And it's raging_

_The fight inside is hurting me again_

_And without you_

_The fight inside is breaking me again..._

**Fight Inside** – Red

-o-

Chapter 6: His Body was Protesting

His body was protesting with every step he took away from Anamaria's room.

He could feel it.

With every step, a muscle would twitch. Above his eye. In his jaw. In his forearm. In his back. Even the pinky finger in his right hand twitched.

It was only one twitch in those various places but he could feel it and it was not a good sign. The Other Guy did _not_ want to leave her.

Agent Romanoff had been waiting for him outside in the corridor to escort him back to the bridge. He didn't say anything to the agent and neither she to him. Dr. Banner was a man of few words unless he found them absolutely necessary. In the case of Anamaria, there were words that he had to say to defend her from becoming another pet project of some government agency.

"Good work, Dr. Banner," said Fury upon his arrival, a pleased smile playing on his face. "You got more out of her in 25 minutes then I did in an hour."

Dr. Banner pulled off his glasses as he moved to a stop behind one of the leather seats that surrounded the table. The others were still sitting at their places around the table, watching him while Romanoff went to resume her own seat.

He looked at the others before his soft brown eyes landed on Fury, his large fingers fiddling with his glasses in their normal, nervous habit. "She only told me her first name," he said, looking at the monitor in the table in front of him, which showed a live feed of Ana resting upon her bed, playing with something in her hands. He felt his heart drop as he noticed the small device that he had brought with him to visit her. He had forgotten it there.

"She also told you she has changed before and has done more harm than good," said Fury, his single dark eye glancing down at the monitor in front of himself. "We're going to have to keep her on lock down while we focus on Loki. After all of this is blown over, we can find out more about her."

"You can't keep her locked up," said Dr. Banner, a light frown twitching on his face. "That's going to set her off even worse if you cage her up like some animal."

"And what should we do? Leave her to run around the ship and hope she doesn't erupt into some monster to blow everything up?" asked Romanoff, her eyes studying the woman in the screen, who was peacefully laying upon the bed, playing with the small device in her hands. "It's safer if we just place her in a fire proof chamber and deal with her once everything is settled down."

"She is calm and rational right now," said Dr. Banner in her defense, his own calm beginning to wane slightly. "She defended those people from Loki for Christ's sake. She didn't attack any of them. She didn't even attack Captain America and she had every opportunity to."

"You're right Dr. Banner," said Steve Rogers, studying the monitor in front of himself before he glanced up at the doctor. "We shouldn't treat her any differently just because of who and what she is. She defended those citizens and didn't harm any of us. She hasn't shown any hostility toward us since she had awoken. I say we should trust her."

"I second that," said Thor, looking around to the others before looking down once again at the monitor of his own. "She has proven herself to be a true warrior. Should we not judge her on her current actions and not of our fear of her abilities? She may be of some help."

All eyes turned back to Agent Romanoff, who glanced around at the men and let out sigh. "Yes, you're right" she said, her eyes focusing on the doctor with an apologetic look. "We can't be discriminatory."

Fury had been watching all of this with an amused smirk on his lips, his single dark eye focused on Dr. Banner's interesting reaction to his words. He reached out to cut off the feed from Anamaria's room and the monitors shut off with a blink. "Well, then. That settles it. We'll have her join the rest of us." He looked up at Dr. Banner and his smirk grew slightly. "Dr. Banner, I expect you to keep a full eye on her."

Once again placed on the spot, Dr. Banner felt a mixed reaction of shock and pleasure at the words. "Why-"

"You seem to have an even better understanding of her than I had originally thought," said Fury in reply. "And you two seemed to hit it off quite well. At this point, we need her and yourself to be as calm as possible. I trust your judgment Dr. Banner. At this stage in the game, we have bigger things to focus on." He pointed a finger to a brown haired woman, dressed in standard issue SHIELD attire for a high ranking agent. She had been standing off to one side of the table, a monitor displayed in front of her, while she had watched the group talking over the subject of the new woman.

"Agent Hill, would you open the feed to Loki's cell? We have another interrogation to complete," said Fury, walking around the table to exit the bridge. He paused slightly and glanced back Agent Hill, whose fingers had been moving over the necessary key strokes and files to connect the live feed to the cell that had originally been built for something else. "Also, would you kindly find more appropriate attire for our guest and bring her to the bridge? I'd like her to see this." Fury didn't wait for a response from Agent Hill as he left the bridge down the adjacent corridor that led to the main part of the _Helicarrier._

Agent Hill frowned at her boss' back before sighing and finishing with the monitor. She moved away from it and nodded to the group before she followed her boss' steps down the corridor.

-o-

Ana had stopped watching the file of the Other Guy some time ago and she had set the device down on her chest. She had just begun to fall asleep when the door to her room unlocked and slid open. She opened her eyes and glanced at the doorway at the far end of the sterile, white room.

A different person had decided to pay her a visit.

It was a beautiful, tall woman with a stern frown on her face. Her brown hair was brushed back into a librarian's bun at the back of her head, her bangs falling just shy of her dark brows. An ear piece was in her right ear and she was wearing what appeared to be a standard issued jumpsuit for SHIELD. It was navy blue, with some black patches to accent certain areas, with a black belt about her hips and a gun attached to it. The emblem of SHIELD was stitched onto the upper arms of her suit. It was of straight lines and angles within a circle that formed what looked like an eagle. She held in her hands folded clothing that looked to be a similar navy blue jumpsuit with a pair of similar black boots resting a top them.

Her own black boots were thudding against the white floor as she walked in and stopped in the middle of the room. She was watching Ana with guarded gray eyes before she held out the folded clothing to her. "Hello Ms. Anamaria. My name is Agent Hill. I'm here to escort you to the bridge. If you could to change into these, we'll be on our way."

Ana sat up slowly, studying the other woman carefully. She could sense Agent Hill's fear but she was well trained. The woman didn't even twitch as she waited for Ana to get up to take the clothing from her hands. A test perhaps?

Even with this stranger in the room with her, Ana's other self didn't become distrustful. In fact, a certain excitement from the demon had emerged from within and Ana was careful as she got up from the bed. If this meant that she was getting out of her prison that meant she could see the handsome Dr. Banner again. While she had been watching the video of the Other Guy, she had found other files about the doctor. Concerning his past, his accident that caused his feral side to emerge, his battle in the streets of Harlem against a true monster, and his recent self-isolation to Calcutta. He had been working as a medical doctor for the poor there, putting in many hours of work devoted to the health and wellbeing of his patients. He was an exceptional man and to think that he possessed such a feral strength...

Her demon was emitting pleasant pulses of warmth and impatience at the very thought. Her other self was craving to be close to the doctor, if it only meant to be close to his feral self. Her demon seemed to be calm in his presence. That was a good thing.

"Am I being taken to be questioned?" asked Ana as she walked closer to Agent Hill and reached out to take the clothes. The woman had stiffened slightly the moment Ana's warm fingers had brushed against her own paler ones but relaxed when Ana simply took the clothes and boots. She moved to set them on the bed before she unceremoniously pulled off her scrub top and threw it onto the pillow of the bed, her copper brown curls being pulled to the right side of her neck.

She was bare breasted and didn't seem at all ashamed of it as she pulled off the scrub bottoms, revealing the black thong she had been wearing the night before. She also displayed a full view of the burning red mark with the pulsing red veins on the back of her neck. She folded bottoms neatly as she turned around to look at Agent Hill, who had been openly staring at the red veins on Ana's neck with curiosity, only to blush at the sudden view of naked breasts. She quickly turned around to give Ana some privacy.

"Um, no ma'am," said Agent Hill, an embarrassed tone coloring her voice. "Fury had asked for your presence with the others. I'm only here to escort you."

"Oh, well that's different," said Ana in reply, knowing full well that the other woman had been staring at her neck. A full view of breasts was a good spur of the moment diversion. She pulled at the navy blue clothing and was relieved to see it was a two piece outfit instead of one-piece jumpsuit. She pulled on the pants, surprised at how comfortably the material stretched and supported her thighs and butt. She liked it. It was impossible to find a pair of pants that fit just right.

She slipped on the sleeveless gray undershirt, tucked the hem in, before she slipped on the navy blue long sleeved top that had a single zipper for closure. The top did not fit well enough, the zipper refused to budge over the hump of her breasts, no matter how much she pulled. The result was her breasts being lifted and pushed together, displaying an ample amount of cleavage against the gray undershirt. She sighed and turned around to look at Agent Hill. "Is there a bigger shirt I could borrow? The zipper to this one seems to not want to go any further."

Agent Hill, sensing it was all right to turn around, glanced at Ana and stared at the cleavage on display before she cleared her throat and looked at the shorter woman. "I'm sure I can find something later. Right now that will have to do; we need to get to the bridge."

Ana stared at Agent Hill before she shook her head lightly and turned around to finish dressing, donning a pair of black socks before slipping the boots on. She pulled out her curls, making sure they covered her neck, and felt she was ready. She had grabbed the small device from the bed and, seeing she bore no pockets in the pants, slipped it down her undershirt where it stayed firmly tucked between her breasts. She would give it to Dr. Banner later.

She turned to look at Agent Hill and gave a nod. " _D'accord_ , Agent Hill. I am ready."

Agent Hill took a glance over the shorter woman and wondered if she should get her a bigger shirt... Sighing in resignation at little time there was, she beckoned to Ana to follow and turned around to lead the way out of the room.

-o-

Dr. Banner was standing behind one of the leather chairs at the table, his arms folded tight against his broad chest. He was watching the now quiet monitor, staring at his own reflection as he thought back to the conversation he had had with Anamaria.

_There was nothing to fear except the power he gave his own demon..._

That was the problem. He didn't give the Other Guy any power. That part of him was nothing but power. He was just... a vessel.

" _Bonté divine!_ This place is like a city! You would think they had never seen women walking down a corridor before."

The unmistakable voice with the slight accent that spoke from the corridor caught his attention and he turned around to catch sight of Agent Hill walking onto the bridge. Behind her, a differently dressed Anamaria followed, wearing a suit that left little - _very_ little - to the imagination. Dr. Banner's eyes were instantly drawn to the sight of ample cleavage, the sudden spike of lust that hit him catching him off guard. It hadn't been from him alone.

Agent Hill was looking slightly embarrassed as she headed straight toward Dr. Banner and stopped a few feet shy of him. "Dr. Banner, here is Ms. Anamaria." She glanced back the shorter woman, who stopped beside her, and she gave Ana a nod. "Ma'am, here is the doctor. He will be your guide from now on so please stay with him unless directed otherwise." Her gray eyes slid down to the ill-fitting navy blue shirt before looking at Ana again. "And again, I apologize for the shirt. As soon as this meeting is over I'll find a better suited one for you."

Ana's brown eyes had caught Banner's and he had to have been seeing things. The red veins visible through the loose curls of hair around her neck had deepened in color, pulsing with her quickening heartbeat. Had that been lust he had seen in her eyes? It had faded so quickly, he couldn't say for sure. However, he could sense that the attraction from before seemed to have reignited in that moment.

" _Merci,_ Agent Hill," said Ana as she turned to the taller woman and smiled. Agent Hill nodded and turned around to head back to her station.

Ana turned her full attention back to Dr. Banner, her smile growing as she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "We meet again Dr. Banner," she said, "I had thought I would see you again but not so soon."

Banner cleared his throat as he struggled to retain eye contact with her. "I... um... I-I put in a good word for you," was all he said as he kept his arms folded, his heart beginning to rise in its beat.

"Ah, well thank you for getting me out of my prison," she said, her smile not fading as the red veins pulsed a little quicker. "Oh, by the way, you had forgotten something in your haste to leave." She reached down into her shirt, much to the shock of the doctor, and pulled out the small, device from between her breasts. She held it out for him to take. "Thank you for letting me borrow it. It kept me entertained."

A flush touched Dr. Banner's cheeks as he stared at the device, his mind whirling as to where it had just been, before he slowly reached out his right hand to take it. His fingers brushed against hers, the lust spiking once more, before he took the device. It was still so warm...

He quickly slipped it back into his pocket before he cleared his throat and looked at the others, who had been watching their interaction with slightly amused expressions on their faces. "Ah, everyone th-this is Anamaria... uh," he paused and glanced at her, realizing that he couldn't make a proper introduction since she had not told him her last name.

"Brandt," she supplied without hesitation, her eyes focused entirely on his as the red veins continued to ebb and flow along the sides of her neck. There it was. The lust was definitely there in her eyes. He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

Ana glanced at the others around the table, noting each figure. She was introduced to the quiet redhead, Natasha Romanoff and the tall god-like man who called himself Thor. Her interest was caught when Steve Rogers introduced himself, who was one seat down from Dr. Banner. She had a bright smile on her face as she moved around to reach out a hand to shake his. " _Oui, Capitaine,_ it is a pleasure! My Mama is such a fan of yours."

Steve returned her smile as he took her hand in his and gave it a firm shake. "The pleasure is mine ma'am." His eyes flashed over to Dr. Banner, noting the way the other man's gaze was focused solely on their joined hands and the slight frown on his face. Steve quickly released Ana's hand as he sat back in his chair. "Your mother has heard of me?" he asked, taking that opening in hoping to get more info that may be of help. It worked.

" _Oui_ ," said Ana, moving back around Dr. Banner to stand on his right side, it was a comfortable distance but close enough to put them both at ease. They both seemed to physically relax at once. Neither noticed. "She is a geneticist. She was interested in the Super Soldier Serum used on you and had read many theories on it."

That caught the doctor's attention and he glanced at Ana, his interest peaked as a piece of the puzzle had suddenly made itself known. "Your mother's a geneticist?"

"Everyone, the interrogation is about to begin," called out Agent Hill, effectively cutting off the conversation.

All eyes turned to their respective screens in the table's surface before them, the sight of Loki in a circular glass cell appearing. Silence fell throughout the bridge.

"It's an impressive cage," said Loki from within the glass cell as he held out his hands to indicate his surroundings. He took a few steps back, a smirk playing on his lips. "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot _stronger_ than you," said Fury in reply. He was off the view of the camera, which was focused solely on the cell's inmate, but his voice came through clear on the audio.

"Oh, I've heard," said Loki, his smile turning to one of amusement as he turned to look at where the camera was mounted. He started to walk toward the camera, staring straight into it, looking as if were staring straight at the unseen person watching. "A mindless beast... Makes play he's still a man."

Agent Romanoff slowly looked up from the monitor and glanced at Dr. Banner, who glanced at her with a frown on his face. He didn't say anything to her but he could see the look in her eyes, the pity. He focused his attention back to the monitor, his calm waning slightly the more he listened to this man.

A warm hand had brushed against sleeve of his upper arm, the sudden heat that emitted from it sending soothing warmth up and down his spine. He immediately felt his calm again. He glanced back to find Ana looking up at him. She gave a nod before she removed her hand and returned her gaze to the screen. Dr. Banner felt the sudden loss.

"How desperate are you?" asked Loki. "You call on such lost creatures to defend you."

"How desperate am I?" replied Fury in turn, his voice growing cold. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun." Fury had appeared within the view of the camera then, having walked up to the glass wall of the cell. At that moment in time, he truly looked like his namesake. "You have made me _very_ desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooo,"said Loki, the look in his pale face one of mock fear before he leaned closer toward Fury, his smile was one of slight madness. "It _burns_ you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power..." He began to step away from the wall, his smile growing fond. " _Unlimited_ power. And for what?" His smile fell away before it became a sneer. "A warm light for all mankind to share?" He glanced at the camera, stared at it, before he looked back at Fury. "And then to be reminded what _real_ power is."

A slight smirk appeared on the corner of Fury's goateed mouth before he stepped away from the cell and out of the view of the camera. "Yeah? Well let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something..."


	7. He Really Grows on You

_The secret side of me_

_I never let you see_

_I keep it caged, but I can't control it, so stay away from me_

_The beast is ugly, I feel the rage, and I just can't hold it..._

**Monster** _-_ Skillet

-o-

Chapter 7: He Really Grows On You

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" asked Banner, a tense smile playing on his face. He was trying to make light of the situation but goodness knows he was never a comedian. No one responded to his comment but a gentle brush of warmth against the back of his shirt caught him off guard and he glanced down to find Ana smiling up at him in an encouraging way. The warmth that touched his heart then had nothing to do with the warmth of her hand on his back. His lips twitched hesitantly into a smile before he turned his attention to the others.

Captain Rogers let out a sigh as he stared at the surface of the table where the screen had flickered off. "Loki is gonna drag this out..." He glanced up at the god of thunder, who was pacing on the other side of the table in a restless manner with a worried look on his face. "So Thor... What's his play?"

Thor paused in his movements and he glanced at the others, his eyes taking in the sight of them before he heaved a sigh. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard nor of any world known." He paused slightly as a sudden growl erupted from one in the group.

All eyes turned to Anamaria, the peak of prominent red veins showing against her skin, a flash of yellow catching in her eyes. She immediately caught herself the moment Dr. Banner had placed a comforting hand against her own back, his broad fingers bracing against the small of it. She glanced at the others and an embarrassed look touched her features. "I'm sorry... It was that name."

"What name?" asked Rogers, his blue eyes glancing from Thor to Ana. "The Chitauri?"

The snarl that erupted from her lips was a given. Dr. Banner knew that was not a normal response. It seemed ingrained into her other self, the very name brought a very negative emotion forward.

"Lady, you know of these creatures?" asked Thor, his eyes focusing on Ana with sudden interest.

"No," said Ana, her frown growing as she tried to think, tried to find why that name made her very insides boil. Nothing came to mind. "I have never heard of them before now but..." she trailed off, looking suddenly lost and confused. Dr. Banner kept a comforting hand on the small of her back and did not remove it. She seemed to draw a much needed sense of calm from his touch.

Thor looked slightly disappointed at not finding the answer he was looking for but continued on. "Be that as it may. With this... army," he caught himself, his eyes focused on Ana as he began to pace, "he means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"Unlimited energy," said Ana in a soft voice, her brown eyes growing dazed. "That is all they crave. To reproduce and grow... They are like a hive of insects. All one mind. They need unlimited energy to ensure their survival. They will destroy all other life in their path to find it. They have already destroyed a fair number. They were sealed away once before. If Loki finds a way to bring them to Earth..."

The words hung like a cloud of despair from Ana's lips, her voice husky with emotion as the red veins began to ebb and flow at her quickened heartbeat. She closed her eyes as she shook her head, her copper brown curls falling forward to hide her face from view. "They will need to be stopped if you wish Earth to remain in one piece." She hung her head, looking as if she were trying to find something. The red veins had grown to the front of her neck and were pulsing at an incessant beat, demanding and harsh. "I don't even know... how I know..." She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, her body twitching.

"Er," said Rogers, trying to move the conversation away from the topic that was a clear trigger for Anamaria's other self to be set off. "They're an army... from outer space..." He glanced up at Dr. Banner before giving a pointed look to Ana.

Dr. Banner took the point, the hand on the small of her back rubbing soothing circles in an attempt to keep her calm. "So, he's building another portal?" It seemed to work better than he thought. She was leaning slightly into his touch and a soft sigh of relief had slipped past her lips. He tried to ignore the warmth he was feeling from the simple contact. He tried to ignore the thought that a touch from him could even be soothing to someone else. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor's gaze was drawn to Banner, his attention fully caught from the strangeness that was Anamaria Brandt.

"He's an astrophysicist," said Banner in reply, his broad fingers still moving in their soothing gesture against Ana's back. Neither of them realized how intimate their position looked.

Thor frowned lightly as he stared at Dr. Banner. "He is a friend," he said, a simple enough statement that revealed how close he was to the man.

Romanoff glanced up at Thor, catching the emotion in his eyes and understanding. "Loki has him under some kind of spell. Along with one of our own..." she trailed off, glancing away from the others and looking upset, her folded arms moving slightly, looking as if she wanted to wrap them around herself. In that moment in time, the Black Widow looked almost vulnerable.

Captain Rogers shook his head as he settled back against his chair. "I wonder why Loki let us take him? He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," said Dr. Banner, his hand falling away from Ana's back, not noticing the disappointed look on her face though she had remained calm. He pulled off his glasses as he began to pace, his fingers fiddling with them. It seemed to be his trademark thinking position. "That guy's brains is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."

"Have care how you speak," said Thor, taking a step forward as he glared at Dr. Banner. "Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard." He took in a breath, glancing around at the others. “And he is my brother..."

"He killed eighty people in two days..." said Romanoff in a bland tone, looking over at Thor, the look on her face daring Thor to find a response to that.

Thor's glare was quick to fade away and an uncomfortable look settled across his fair features. "He's adopted," he said, his tone ending in more of a question than a statement, as if asking if that was enough of a defense. It was explanation enough for Loki's madness in comparison to Thor's sane, caring manner toward humans.

"I think it's about the mechanics," said Banner, bringing the conversation back to the point at hand. His soft brown eyes studying the others with a questioning gaze. "The iridium. What do they need the iridium for?"

"For stability," said Anamaria in answer, her voice an unexpected addition to the conversation at hand. All eyes turned to her but her focus was on Dr. Banner. Her brown eyes were always on Dr. Banner. "My mother had worked with Dr. Schafer on various projects in the past," she said by way of explanation, she started to feel the blush rise into her cheeks at the doctor's focused stare. "Iridium was his field of study. If there is one thing you can depend on that can withstand high amounts of temperature and pressure without losing its strength or at risk of being damaged, that metal would be the key." She swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in her throat. The look on her face was telling. She had had personal experience with such experiments. "From the sounds of it, if you want to operate a device that is meant to open a portal between here and another realm, you would need something to help keep the energy source as stable as possible. Iridium would do just the trick."

The silence that followed was interrupted by a very confident male voice talking to a male agent of SHIELD, who was escorting the gentleman to the bridge. "I'm just saying: Take a weekend. I'll fly you out to Portland..." He leaned toward the agent and mumbled something else, who merely allowed a hint of smile to show as he nodded before he left the cocky man. The man himself to join the rest of the group.

"By the way, an excellent observation, miss. Couldn't have explained it better in such Laymen's terms myself," said the man, both complimenting and belittling if that were possible. The funny thing was he appeared to have meant it as a genuine compliment. He was none other than the infamous Tony Stark aka Iron Man. He was tall, dark and handsome with a bit of silver at the temples of his swept back dark hair. His dark goatee added to his angular features and the confident air about him made others aware that he knew exactly who he was and he was quite proud of it.

He started to walk around the large table, his hands in the pockets of his dark gray slacks. "What the lady is trying to explain is that the portal won't collapse in on itself like it did at SHIELD." He walked past Thor by this time and slowed down slightly as he reached out to pat the god on a muscled bicep. "No hard feelings Point Break, you got a mean swing." He then continued walking on, ignoring the incredulous look on Thor's face. He walked toward the command post and stopped in front of it, gazing about the bridge. "It also means that the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants."

He paused slightly and raised his hand a little, the look on his face one of mocking authority. "Er- Raise the mizzen mast! Ship the topsails..."

The staff of the bridge turned around to look at Stark, the faces of the various men and women taking on looks of incredulity, amusement and just plain blank.

"That man is playing Gallaga," said Stark, pointing out in a mockery of dramatic shock to a man sitting on the far end of the bridge, who was hunched over his monitor and looking hard at work. The man jumped slightly and glanced over his shoulder. Stark's arm fell as he concentrated on the monitors of the command post in front of him. "Thought we wouldn't notice... but we did..." He frowned as he held his left hand to his left eye and focused on the monitors before he turned to Agent Hill. "How does Fury even see these?"

Agent Hill was standing at her station, her arms folded across her chest as she stared Stark with a slight frown on her face. "He turns."

"Sounds exhausting..."

Stark turned around, playing with the various monitors as he walked about the command post, his hand moving quickly about the screens as he studied them with apparent interest. "The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density." His hand passed quickly over a monitor, a slight of hand that no one noticed. He turned the group then and snapped his fingers before clapping his hands together. "Something to... kick start the cube."

Agent Hill watched Stark, her gray eyes studying the philanthropist with slight doubt. "When did _you_ become an expert in Thermonuclear Astrophysics?"

"Last night," said Stark, slipping his hands back in the pockets of his slacks. He looked serious despite the slight frown on Hill's face.

A mocking look of shock appeared as he leaned slightly forward. "The packet? Selvig's notes..." His words brought forth no signs of recognition. "The extraction theory papers?" Again, no recognition. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and threw them up as if in disbelief. "Am I the only one who did the reading?"

Captain Rogers decided it was best to just keep to the topic on hand. He didn't like this Tony Stark very much. He seemed enjoy making a joke out of all of this. "Does Loki need any particular power source?"

Dr. Banner had begun to pace again while he had listened to Stark explain about the need for iridium, his pacing reduced to just a few feet on either side of Anamaria. He didn't seem aware that he didn't stray too far from her. His movements seemed to be a subconscious act, setting a protective perimeter about Ana's personal space, who was standing there looking completely at ease. She wasn't aware of what the doctor was doing either; her eyes were focused on the others as she listened. Within the both of them, their other selves were very much aware of how close the other was and both were radiating contentment.

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," said Banner, his pacing never pausing as he glanced at Stark, who was studying at how close the doctor was to the woman he knew had been the creature who fought Loki in Germany. Stark didn't need much effort to keep the interest from showing in his face. His poker face was well practiced.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the Quantum Tunneling Effect," said Stark in response.

Banner paused in his pacing, stopping directly in front of Ana, as he fiddled with his glasses with one hand while propping an elbow against a folded arm. "Well, if he can do that then he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion with any reactor on the planet."

Stark looked genuinely impressed as he walked around the large table and gestured toward the doctor, glancing around to look at the others. "Finally, someone who speaks English." He turned around, continuing to Dr. Banner as he held a hand out to shake in greeting.

"Is that what just happened?" asked Captain Rogers, a look of slight confusion on his handsome face. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had a hard time of understanding what they were speaking of. He had glanced around and caught the sight of Anamaria, standing comfortably close to Dr. Banner, but looking as confused as what the Captain felt. Apparently, she knew enough about iridium but not anything of Thermonuclear Astrophysics.

Dr. Banner reached out to take Stark's hand and gave it a firm shake only to continue to shake it as the playboy's hazel eyes focused on the doctor's brown ones in an intense gaze. "It's good to meet you Dr. Banner." His hand was finally released as Stark continued on. "Your work on Anti-Electron Collisions is unparalleled." He paused a bit before he went on, not looking the least bit ashamed. "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous, green rage monster."

Dr. Banner's face took on an uncomfortable expression as he glanced at the others, licking his lips as he tried to find words to respond to that. Nothing came to mind but a very awkward "Thanks..."

Stark didn't realize how uncomfortable he had made the doctor or didn't seem to particularly care. Ana had and she did not like it. The moment Stark's attention focused on her, he had a ready smile on his face and reached out to shake her hand as well. "You must be Mrs. Rage Monster. Not too familiar with your work but from your one demonstration I'm impressed."

Anamaria took his hand in turn and gave it a firm shake, the red veins becoming more prominent against the caramel skin of her neck. She gave a very feral smile that did not reach her eyes. "And you must be a dick. It's a pleasure I'm sure."

Stark didn't laugh but the amusement could clearly be seen in his hazel eyes as they shook hands. He had to admit, he walked into that one.

"Don't worry. I'll grow on you," said Stark in reply as he released her hand and glanced at Dr. Banner, noting how the quiet man had taken to standing slightly behind Ana, his arms folded across his chest while his gaze remained on Stark.

_Hm. Interesting..._

"Oh yes, like a case of Black Mold," said Ana in reply, her body subconsciously leaning toward the taller frame of Dr. Banner.

This time Stark did laugh and he smiled at Dr. Banner as he pointed at her, "OK, I like her."


	8. One Had to Admit There was Chemistry

_I feel it deep within_

_Just beneath the skin_

_I hate what I've become_

_The nightmare's just begun_

_I must confess that I feel like a monster..._

**Monster** – Skillet

-o-

Chapter 8: One Had to Admit There Was Chemistry

One had to admit there was chemistry there between the two of them.

One had to be blind not to see it.

Apparently, these two were kind of blind.

It was radiating off of them like their own personal aura. Whatever they felt as their quiet, unassuming selves was magnified by the raging monsters within them. They didn't seem aware that they gravitated toward one another. When one moved, the other followed. When the one showed tension, the other was right there to calm. It was like a subconscious understanding between them that their human conscious wasn't aware of.

And this was within the first couple of hours of their initial meeting.

Fury had noticed it the moment he had watched on the live feed when Banner had entered Anamaria's room. The instant connection, the understanding they both craved. They were each other’s needed calm. It was what Fury was hoping to see when he had assigned Dr. Banner to watch over her. If this strange woman was able to keep Banner calm, and likewise he for her, then she was a much needed god send.

He still could not locate anything on the woman, despite now knowing her full name, having video footage of her and her raging counterpart, and information on her mother being a geneticist. There was no record of an Anamaria Brandt located in any countries' records that she could have possibly originated from. Be it the USA, France and every Spanish speaking country on the globe. Either she was very well hidden or she was _Persona non grata_ for every major first world and third world country there was. Either was plausible. He would need more time.

Thankfully, Ana seemed quite content within remaining in SHIELD headquarters. As long as Dr. Banner was close by anyway. Fury knew he had told Banner that he would be staying until the Tesseract was be located but this was an unknown situation. If his staying meant that all the rest of them would be safe from both of their raging sides, then so be it...

The moment he walked onto the bridge and found the group of would be Avengers gathered around the table, even he had to admit he felt a certain satisfaction. Especially when he saw Dr. Banner standing particularly close to Ana as she literally called Tony Stark a dick while being introduced. All right, even Fury had to admit that was funny...

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube," said Fury as he stopped besides the railing that wrapped around the command post. His single eye was on Stark as his hands gripped the metal bar. "I was hoping you might join him."

"As long as Mrs. Rage Monster doesn't mind me being so close to Dr. Banner, I don't see how it could be a problem," said Stark in reply, a smirk appearing on his lips as he watched Ana. He was trying to goad her.

The slight twitch from Ana's form, and the sudden darkening of the red veins in her neck that was visible through her hair, brought an automatic response from the doctor: A large hand placed on the small of her back. She immediately began to relax from the touch but she still looked as if she wanted to rip Stark a new one.

Fury was _very_ pleased with the sight of it. If they were acting this way so soon after meeting one another then he hoped it would stay that way. It would save a hell of a mess of trouble later on...

"I'd start with that stick of Loki's," said the Captain, his gaze traveling between that of Ana and he doctor before he looked at the others. "It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

Fury frowned lightly as he glanced at Rogers. "I don't know about that but it is powered by the Cube _and_ I'd like to know how Loki had used it to turn two of the sharpest minds I know into his personal flying monkeys..."

"Monkeys?" Thor turned toward Fury, confusion touching his fair features. "I do not understan-"

"I do!" cried Captain Rogers, jumping in immediately as he pointed a finger toward the god. "I understood that reference..." That statement was followed by varied responses of amusement and sympathy. Well, you couldn't blame the guy for wanting to find some connection to the world he had known.

Stark simply rolled his eyes heavenward and turned to Dr. Banner. "Shall we play, doctor?"

Dr. Banner simply huffed a laugh as he held out his hand. "This way sir," he said in response before his soft brown eyes automatically landed on the woman that pulled on the primal part of him. "Ana, will you join us?"

Her brown eyes sought his and her response was a bright smile that revealed a part of herself that no one, apart from her mother, had ever seen. That smile brought a completely different light to her features. She looked like the promise of the woman she had the potential to be: At ease and happy.

Dr. Banner had to lie if he said he had not been affected by that smile.

" _Bien sûr, je viens avec vous,_ " said Ana, her French automatically coming out in her apparent excitement of staying with the doctor before she caught herself and a blush touched her cheeks. "I mean... If it is all right with you. I was told to stay with you until directed otherwise."

Dr. Banner had to laugh at that and held out his hand further as he waited for Ana to pass by him. She walked by the doctor and she gazed at him with a smile, her brown eyes revealing the lust that had been there from before. Dr. Banner had to swallow the tightness in his throat before he went to follow after Ana and Stark, his heart beating a steady rhythm, hard and earnest against his chest.

The Other Guy was poking at his conscious then, making himself known, prodding in an urgent way for Banner to keep as close to their women as possible. There was no mistaking how the Other Guy felt.

Anamaria was all Dr. Banner's for the taking.

However, the _fiery_ one within her was _his_...

-o-

In an extensive laboratory aboard the SHIELD _Helicarrier_ , Dr. Banner was back at his station, this time scanning the scepter that belonged to Loki, the wand of the device he had scanning the energy emitting from the ball of light at the tip of the scepter. The look on his face was one of concentration, his glasses resting firmly on the bridge of his nose. He frowned at the results on the screen in front of him, a slight twitch on the corners of his mouth revealing his tension.

"These gamma readings are definitely consistent with the gamma readings of Selvig's report on the Tesseract but," he heaved a sigh as he sent the device aside and reached out to touch various keys on the screen, "it's going to take weeks to process..."

On the other side of the lab, Stark was at his own station, his fingers dancing across the screen of his own monitor in an expert way. "If we bypass their mainframe in a direct route to the home requester, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops." He turned his fingers on a dial on the touch screen; applying everything he had just been saying into action. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

"Heh, all I packed was a toothbrush," said Banner, a smile touching his features. He looked very tired all of a sudden. He continued to work on the monitor before him, adjusting the readings and trying to match what was recorded on Selvig's notes. However, his brown eyes had wandered to the quiet woman who sat away from the two of them, her eyes focused on a screen of her own.

Anamaria was sitting at her own station but she was not doing any kind of work that pertained to their search of the Tesseract. She was looking at very old files of an experiment gone wrong. They were of Dr. Banner's initial involvement with trying to replicate the Super Soldier experiment that created Captain America. She was slouching in her stool, her dark brows knitted together, as she read on what had happened and what had gone wrong.

Stark had noticed Banner's gaze landing on the woman and the look in his soft brown eyes was that of longing. The playboy was surprised that Ana was keeping her distance from the doctor. On the bridge, it was clear as day that she was quite protective of him. Perhaps it was because of the many people who had been in the room. Well, in any case, it was obvious that Dr. Banner was quite fond of the mysterious raging woman who was, by definition of SHIELD, Hulk's female counter part. Seriously, they already had started gathering data on the woman.

The little chip he had put in place to hack into SHIELD's computer files was an ingenious one. Well, since he made it himself, of course it was ingenious. But that was beside the point; the main thought was that one of the first files it had hacked into was the most recent one. It was under a simple French word: _Enflammé._

Whoever made the file either had no originality or was bored out of their minds.

They had called the raging female monster that caused combustive explosions _Enflammé._

Perhaps it was because of Ana's tendency to revert to the French language that inspired this particular name but honestly. The English translation would mean burning, passionate... Fiery...

Well, they got the burning, fiery part right.

Stark wondered how well in check her monster was compared to that of Banner's...

Naturally, as a woman, she should be prone to more excessive emotional outbursts. Especially during a particular time of the month. She would be a funner choice to provoke. Still, he rather liked his body as it was. He didn't want to fall under being burned in any way. Pepper sure wouldn't like it...

"You know, you should come by Stark Tower some time," said Tony to the doctor after a moment's pause as he left his station and started to walk toward Banner's station. "Top ten floors all R&D. You'd love it. It's like Candyland." He walked by Ana's station on the way and paused, picking up a metal instrument that was lying on her table; it looked quite pointy and sharp. An electric hum could be heard if one listened closely.

"Thanks," said Banner, his broad fingers moving effortlessly over the touch screen of his monitor. He had pulled his gaze, rather reluctantly, from Ana's slouched form and tried to project the image of nonchalance. He didn't realize that Stark was quite aware of how he felt toward the woman. "But the last time I was in New York I kind of... _broke_... Harlem." He looked embarrassed and resigned about that part of history. He wasn't proud of what he- the Other Guy- had done. However, he did stop the Abomination... and Betty had been saved...

"Well," said Stark, pacing about in front of Ana's station, who didn't notice the man as she focused on reading the reports of one Betty Ross. "I promise a stress free environment..." he trailed off, stopping behind Ana and looking over her shoulder.

After a moment's reading, he leaned in close to Ana and whispered, "Jealous of the ex-girlfriend?"

Ana jumped in fright and whirled around to snarl at Stark, her red veins prominent and the flash of yellow in her eyes quite impressive. " _Tu m'emmerdes!_ " said Ana, her voice coming out as a harsh growl as she bared her teeth at him. "Back off before I make you! Have you no decency for personal space?" She took in a breath as she tried to calm herself but was having a hard time. Stark was looking absolutely gleeful.

It was a fact.

She had been caught. She was jealous.

"Oh come now," said Stark, playing with the metal prong between his hands. "We're all friends here. So what if you have a thing for the doctor? If I was a woman, I wouldn't blame you." He leaned in close, the look in his face suggestive. "I mean... you've seen the videos. That guy is huge. You can't help but wonder..."

" _Merde!_ " she cursed, pushing the monitor away from her and turning about in her stool as she glared at Stark. "Do want to make me angry? I assure you, you're on the right path if that is your wish!"

Stark took a step back, his hands rising in surrender, though the smile on his face did not fade. He was enjoying this. "I'm just pointing out a glaring fact Ms. Brandt." He pointed the metal prong to the screen, where the file of the Hulk was now on full display. "You are learning all you can about him. But, what does he, or any of us, know about you?"

Silence fell.

Dr. Banner had been watching this interaction with tense eagerness and interest. A part of him had hated that Stark was intentionally goading Ana on but another part had been eager to see her reaction. He had not been disappointed. He had seen a hint of the fiery one within her, the flash of yellow in her eyes a definite warning. The Other Guy had been pleased to see a hint of _her_ buried underneath that quiet woman.

It had been the moment Stark had pointed out what she had been studying, and how it was not fair that they knew next to nothing about her, that got him to stop and think. Stark was right. Banner knew nothing about this woman. The sudden realization had quickly put a damper on the attraction that had been humming beneath the surface of his calm facade.

Ana had been glaring at Stark the entire time before her brown eyes turned to Banner and noticed the cool distance that now touched his soft brown gaze. Her demon did not like that look. She wanted to see the lust in his eyes, the feral attraction that had been humming between the two of them since they had met. She nearly growled her words as she focused her attention on Stark. "You mean you have not found the files yet?"

Stark frowned lightly, a look of confusion touching his features. "You mean what SHIELD had made so far? There's nothing there that we don't already know."

Ana scoffed and shook her head, rolling her eyes as she turned toward the monitor and started to type at the keyboard. "No Metal Man, not those files. I suppose SHIELD has not found them either." Her look became thoughtful as she typed away at the keys, the screen revealing a website that was selling scented candles and oils. The website was called Renewal.

Ana clicked on the register info for new members only and began to type a series of difficult passages into each line that asked for a name, address, age, sex, etc. of the person wishing to join. Under each line, Ana entered a particular quote or lyric or poem. She did this for five times, each time entering in completely new member info with these various wordings before the website blinked and a new screen loaded. The sudden whine that touched speakers of Ana's computer indicated that something had overridden the tracking programs of SHIELD and was now blocking all access to the computer that Anamaria was currently using.

On the screen was one phrase that struck as odd with Tony Stark:

**_Project B.I.R.T.H_ **

" _Welcome back Anamaria,"_ a cool female voice said through the speakers of the monitor. " _Your mother has been worried about you. Why have you not logged on sooner?"_

A slight smile touched Ana's face, there was relief evident there. Apparently she had been deeply worried about her mother, who also had access to this strange website. Dr. Banner had gotten up from his station and walked over to Ana's, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Ana leaned forward toward where the tiny microphone in the monitor was located. "Hello Jenn, please send a message to Mama, let her know I am safe. There is a person here that is like me." She glanced at Banner before her eyes settled on Stark. There was slight hesitation before she sighed and continued on. "And there is another... They are called Dr. Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Please load the files of the LIFE Foundation for me. I trust them with this information."

There was a moment's silence before the cool voice spoke. " _Affirmative. We have secured all channels to this computer. It is up to you to be sure that no one else sees these files aside from those two you have named as trusted confidantes._ "

Ana voiced her approval before she slid her hand over the touch screen monitor and slid out an array of files under her touch. She got up from the stool and turned to the two gentlemen. "I am trusting you two and you two alone with these files. Please," she looked at Stark and her brown eyes grew desperate, "do not try and copy them or hack into them. It will set off a security breach in SHIELD's system."

Dr. Banner's interest was now caught fully, and as was Stark's. Both men leaned toward the monitor, the display in front of them showing a logo for a company called simply LIFE Foundation.


	9. She Felt Cold Inside

_It's breaking me..._

_It's breaking me..._

_I'm falling apart..._

_I'm falling apart..._

**Fight Inside** \- Red

-o-

Chapter 9: She Felt Cold Inside

She felt cold inside as she watched Dr. Banner and Stark staring at the monitor as the file on display for the LIFE Foundation was loaded. She wondered what they were going to think of her after they saw her early life... They would probably think she was the monster she truly was.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she turned away from the two men and went to take a seat at Banner's station. The scepter was glowing at its tip, looking eerie and menacing. She did not like the thing. It set her demon on edge. She subtly moved the stool as far as possible from the thing and focused her attention back on the two men.

She had a good view of the touch monitor from her place, the sight of Dr. Banner leaning over the desk touching a part of her heart that sent such warmth throughout her. It was Stark who touched the first file. It loaded and it was a picture of an old newspaper clipping about a meteorite crashing into the wild hills outside of a small Spanish hamlet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Falling stars happened all the time.

The next file happened a week after the newspaper the clipping. The sound of screaming and wailing cries created a backdrop to the scene they would witness. A male voice spoke in a rushed Spanish of the Catalan dialect as the camera spanned the scene of destruction. It looked to be old news footage from the late eighties.

The camera had landed back in the reporter with thick, bushy dark hair that matched his mustache. He walked along a small dirt road of an equally small village in Spain. All around him, several small buildings that made up the village had been burnt to the ground and were nothing more than smoldering ash. In the distance, the surviving villagers could be seen huddled in their village square; in the middle of the square were the burnt remains of human bodies. The people who had survived numbered in a total of twelve people, ranging from middle aged to very young children. The women and children were wailing and crying.

The man continued to speak in a rushed voice as he walked around the square, the camera following him shakily. He pointed out to the various buildings that still stood but bore horrible scorch marks. He paused when he noticed a young girl, looking to be no more than six years of age, huddled against the wall of one of the buildings. She looked as if she were hiding.

Her copper brown hair ended just past her ears and her soot stained face bore several clear tracks from where her tears had fallen. She wore a tattered dress on her skinny frame and looked as if it had been a bright yellow once. Now, the scorch marks and burnt holes were a testament that she was a surviving child. She looked so distraught and so anguished. The camera had focused on the child, noting that her lips were moving but no words could be heard.

There was something achingly familiar about that child _._

The thought barely registered with Dr. Banner before the video continued on, the reporter rushing over to the child. He looked as if he was excited to have found the child; the surviving villagers of the burnt village had not noticed her hiding. He looked as if he were hoping for some reward. In his haste, the camera hung back, the cameraman shouting out to the reporter, something that sounded like a warning. The cameraman had felt something was wrong... A whispered word of prayer could be heard from the cameraman.

The reporter did not listen and he called out to the child, rushing to her apparent aid. The child jumped in pure fright and let out a harsh cry. The sight of red veins appeared to flow along every visible surface of skin and her eyes turned to a burning yellow glow. The snarl emerged from her lips and before the reporter could even stop he suddenly erupted into flames.

His cries of pain and terror could be heard as he stumbled away from the girl, the sight of the flames burning at a high rate as it consumed him a terrible one. It was over in less than a few moments and the reporter's body fell to the ground, nothing more than a husk of blackened flesh. The cameraman was now crying out his prayers, turning and running back to the village square, his camera showing the surviving villagers glancing his way and their own terror filling their faces.

The next moment the cameraman cried out in pure agony, the sudden sound of rushing flames roaring against the microphone that was built in. The camera fell to the ground and it continued to record, the sight of the child rushing past, her banshee-like screams filling the air. The camera remained where it was as the villagers cried out in pure terror, scattering as quickly as they could, running with cries of "Bruja!"

The recording then became distorted, the sounded of popping metal and plastic an indication that the camera had now caught on fire. The file stopped.

The next file was of a similar incident in another nearby hamlet, though of lesser casualties.

The next sets of files were of reports from an apparent scientist who worked for the group known as LIFE Foundation. They had located the child and, after many losses on their side, had managed to subdue her and bring her in for testing. It was a good thing the child lived in such an out of the way place. No one knew who had caused the fires that destroyed those two villages.

The next files were of the same: Reports, pictures, video footage of the child growing over the years. The pictures and videos were always of her raged form. The scientists of LIFE Foundation believed that the child was playing host to an alien entity. They were hoping to find ways of either extracting it from her or perhaps finding a way of cloning it. If they could, they would find the building blocks to starting the super soldiers that was their employer's long time goal.

The next reports were of keeping the creature within the girl confined. She was restrained to a metal gurney at all times with her eyes and ears completely covered to avoid her detecting any of the staff members that worked around her. She was fed intravenously and wore a catheter and an adult diaper to handle her body's wastes. The picture they showed next was of the deathly pale girl in such a state. She looked like a body.

Dr. Banner could feel the disgust rising in him and the ache in his heart as he recognized the pale thing to be Ana.

Stark did not look any better.

The next few files were of their experiments with her. They did all they could to provoke the monster within her. She was kept in a fireproof chamber that could withstand all of the combustive attacks she threw at the walls. They would shock her, freeze her, shoot at her, they did all they could to provoke her. Her body would heal itself after each "experiment" only for it to start again.

It was becoming too much for the two men to watch and listen to.

It was finally at the last file. This was of a letter, dated thirteen years ago, left by one of the newly hired geneticists named Sidonie Dupont. It was something that brought a much needed sense of relief to the doctor.

_Project B.I.R.T.H is a failure._

_I found your test subject as well as records of all of the experiments._

_You are all bastards for treating a human being this way._

_Did you think it would remain hidden?_

_The others may not wish to question authority but I am not afraid._

_By the time you read this, I will be long gone._

_All records on this project have been wiped clean from the mainframe._

_Search all you want but you will not find us._

_S.D._

That was the last of the files.

There was nothing but silence as the files blinked away and the cool female voice from before spoke through. " _That is all of the files Anamaria. Were there any others you wished to access_?"

Ana's voice was thick with emotion as she cleared her throat. "N-no Jenn, thank you that would be all."

" _Your mother has sent a message and asks that you call her as soon as possible. Did you wish me to locate a secure line for you?"_

Ana could feel their eyes on her but she did not look at either man, she kept her gaze on the screen. "I will do so later. Please tell Mama I am well and safe."

" _Affirmative. I will be releasing this computer from secure hold. All data will be wiped clean from the last hour. Be safe Anamaria._ " The cool voice was cut off abruptly.

The monitor winked once and fell silent before rebooting itself. On display was the last file that had been accessed: That of Hulk.

She felt cold inside.

She turned her brown eyes to Stark and then to Dr. Banner before heaving a sigh. "My name was Anamaria Rovira. I was born on February first of 1984 in a small hamlet called Berót in the country of Spain." She closed her eyes as she felt the chill begin to sink into her bones, the red veins were not as prominent this time around. They were barely red swirling lines against her skin. "When I was six years old, a star had fallen to the hills beyond my home. I was just a young child, I didn't know any better." Her sigh was heavy. "The local children wanted to see the falling star. My older brother was one of them. He had to watch me and he did not like it." She allowed a smile to touch her lips at the memory but it quickly faded. "My mother was working out in the fields that day. My father was working on his fifth bottle of rum." Her brown eyes focused on the picture of the Hulk, the snarling sight of Dr. Banner's feral side did not bring comfort this time around.

"He took me with him to the hills and we searched for the falling star. We had found it in a small thicket of woods where it had made a clearing. My brother was excited and had talked in a rush about bringing a piece of the star back to our mother." She hugged herself tightly as the memory of that day played forth. "He wanted to go closer and told me to stay and wait. I was scared. There were so many stories of evil creatures that lived in the woods. I followed after him." A colorless laugh escaped her as she raised her eyes to the ceiling above. "It was no star down there. My brother had run away, screaming about a she-devil, and left me alone. He left me..."

The hitch in her voice was unmistakable but she continued on. "It was a creature, something that vaguely looked like a woman. I remembered it- she- had been bleeding. She was dying. I couldn't understand the words she spoke but she reached out to me and took me by the back of the neck." She swallowed and felt the chill begin to circulate about her hands and feet. She shivered. "All I remember is burning heat and anger..."

She took in a breath and wished that she could feel warm again. "I don't remember how I got home or what had happened to the creature. My brother had yelled at me about not staying where I was told. My father had been roused from his drunken stupor and then began to yell at the both of us. He was always a violent man. To my mother, to my brother but never to me. That was the first day he had raised a fist to me in anger. It... triggered something." She shivered again, this time the cold was becoming unbearable. She wished the demon in her would course through her veins if only to warm her. "The next thing I know... I'm hiding by one of the old barns, watching the village burn... I knew I had killed my family, killed my neighbors and destroyed my home. I could feel the demon burning in me. She was protective but so angry... I had killed them. I was a monster..."

She didn't say more after this. She simply closed her eyes and swallowed the tightness in her throat. The silence stretched on but no one said a word.

For the first time, Tony Stark had no snarky come back to anything she had said. After all they had seen, read and witnessed what this woman had gone through; cracking a joke at this time wouldn't be smart.

Dr. Banner was always a quiet man but he was also one of quiet action. He had moved away from the computer and walked toward where Ana sat. He reached out to her and pulled her into a tight, warm embrace. It was one of understanding and empathy and comfort. Yes, he may not have grown up with the Other Guy but he understood how she felt.

For the first time, their other selves remained quiet. No hint of lust, no prodding of primal need. They were simply contented with being close to one another again.


	10. You Must Be a Hit at Barbeques

_Head down_

_As I watch my feet take turns hitting the ground_

_Eyes shut, I find myself in love racing the Earth_

_And I'm soaked in your love_

_And love was right in my path, in my grasp_

_And me and you belong..._

**Smash into You** – Beyonce

-o-

Chapter 10: You Must Be a Hit at Barbeques

"So," Stark's voice was the one to break the melancholy silence. Dr. Banner looked over at the philanthropist and Ana's own gaze followed suit, though she was comfortably nestled against his chest. It was strange how well they looked together. Stark cleared this throat and decided to plunge forward, damning the reaction he might receive. "You must be a hit at barbeques."

Silence.

Pure and utter silence.

Dr. Banner's face had taken a on a dark look, not appreciating the joke that Stark had decided to give.

Suddenly, there was laughter.

It wasn't a soft chuckle or a simple giggle. It was a full blown belly laugh.

Dr. Banner glanced down at the woman in his arms and felt his heart lift at the sight of the bright smile that danced across her features. She was _laughing_ her ass off. She looked as if she couldn't breathe for a moment but the tense silence that had been there a moment before was now completely gone.

For one of many times in his life, Stark was glad for his terrible timing with his snarky comments.

"You, Mr. Stark, are an asshole," said Ana, after she finally caught her breath, but she didn't look mad. She looked so relieved.

It took a moment for her to regain her composure but she finally pulled away from Dr. Banner, though reluctantly. She smiled up at him and reached out to brush the brown hair that fell across the left side of his brow. Her fingers combed his hair back into place. He would have to lie if he said he didn't enjoy that simple touch.

"And you Dr. Banner... Thank you for the comfort." Her hand fell away and her brown gaze studied the two men before her. "I am relieved that you don't fear me."

Stark scoffed at this comment and moved away from the station. "So, you have an alien imbedded in your body that mutates you if triggered the wrong way." He shrugged as he walked toward Banner's station, his hazel eyes studying the two of them. "He has a raging green monster imbedded into his very DNA because of an accident that mutates his body if triggered the wrong way." He had to pause, allowing the brief moment irony at those words to hit him. They really did have a lot in common. "I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart." He tapped on the faint glowing orb of light imbedded in his chest. "This stops it. This little circle of light is... a part of me." He paused in front of the station as he pointed the metal prong toward Dr. Banner. "Just like the Hulk is a part of him." He allowed a smile to touch his goateed face. "Just as that thing," he pointed to the red veins visible through the skin of Ana's neck, "is a part of you. It's... a terrible privilege but we're all human."

"It's not _... imbedded_ in me," said Ana, watching Stark as he glanced at her. "It is not a parasite. That physical part isn't _aware_ of things. It's like an organ. Like my heart, my lungs, my kidneys... It's a _necessary_ part of my body." She paused at this and frowned. "It's an _alien_ part, as you would say, but it is only a part. One of many that makes the whole, if that makes any sense." She looked at Dr. Banner before she reached up to rub the back of her neck, something she had never done before. It burned red under her touch. "That creature had given me a part of herself. I've thought of it over and over again these many years. She was passing something onto me. Be it her anger, her rage, her hatred, the very essence that gave her power. She had passed it onto me. I felt as if she had wanted _someone_ to remember her. Remember an important part of her." She took a moment to allow the warmth from her neck to comfort her and sighed. "Something had happened to that creature. Something had caused her to crash to that part of Earth, something that had killed her in the end...

"That army," said Dr. Banner, putting the few clues together as his soft brown eyes lightened with understanding. "The very name of that army set you on edge. Is it possible that the alien that..." he paused, looking for an appropriate word and was relieved to have found it, "that _merged_ with you was trying to warn you? Warn us?" He looked at Stark, hoping for support of his theory.

Stark made a gesture with his head, not quite a nod but along the lines of agreement. "It's possible..."

Ana looked dumbfounded, as if she had never thought of such a thing before. She clenched her jaw and stared off into the distance, her mind working through all of the recent events, the sudden emotions and changes. She took in a breath and looked at Dr. Banner with something akin to love. "You are incredible. Mama would have never thought... I wouldn't have..." She pushed away from the stool and got up, a renewed energy about her.

Dr. Banner moved around his station, reluctant to let her stray too far. He stopped the moment she turned around to face him, the look in her brown eyes was one of hope. "I have to call Mama, let her know what I've learned. If I allow you access to all of the files pertaining to myself, my physical self. Would it help? That army that Loki is commanding, there is something about them that sets my... monster on edge." She had never intentionally tried to voice it aloud before, voicing that part of herself as a monster. Her mother never wanted to hear her say it after the first time.

"It would be a start," said Stark, eager to look at any reports that was about the alien thing that was part of Ana. "It might be of help to learn what we are up against."

" _Oui_ ," said Ana, nodding her agreement. "I would not access Jenn from here again; she might set off SHIELD's programming a second time around. Do you have personal device on you? Like a smart phone or a tablet?"

Stark pulled out his own personal smart phone, the one JARVIS had constant access to. Ana's face brightened at the sight of it. " _Molt bo_ ," she said, reverting to her Catalan tongue from childhood. Apparently, watching those videos had triggered her early childhood Spanish. "That will work perfectly!"

She moved around to grab the phone from Stark and dialed a number. She placed the phone to her ear, waited a moment as she listened to a recording, and then hung up.

"Who is this Jenn?" asked Stark, a part of him curious. He wanted to know what he would be dealing with on his personal machine after all.

Ana didn't even hesitate. "She is my aunt," she said, her fingers moving deftly over the touch screen. "She is Mama's younger sister, who is currently a quadriplegic." Her fingers continued to move across the screen, not noticing the paleness that had gripped Stark. "She is active in her brain but her body does not respond in any way. She is connected to a mainframe computer that my Mama had spent many years and much money developing. My _Tante_ Jenn has unlimited access to the internet since it has been developed and she knows how to bypass any government system and secure a connection, such as SHIELD's." Her smile was one of pride. "She doesn't have much to do with her time since she lies in a bed all day. She is _very_ smart."

"Why does she seem so cold?" asked Dr. Banner, remembering the cool female voice.

"It was because you two were here. She didn't want you to think she was a real person." She continued to play with the phone before a beep sounded from the machine and her smile relaxed. "There. She transferred the files of all of my physical tests." She handed to phone to Stark and her smile disappeared. "Do _not_ transfer these files outside of your own personal computer. I understand you have a personal assistant by the name Pepper Potts and an assistant computer system by the name of JARVIS, who deal with your personal files?" She didn't wait for a reaction from Stark to verify this info. "JARVIS has all of these files on hand and he understands that if SHIELD, or any other entity outside of the personal access of Tony Stark, attempts to access them will result in the complete deletion of these files from his system. I am _trusting_ you with these Mr. Stark." She pointed to the phone, her brown eyes pleading. "Do not misuse this trust."

"I won't," said Stark, the promise in his voice assuring Ana in her trust in the man. He could be serious when he wanted to be.

"Good, I am glad." She took in breath and looked at the doctor. "If you'll excuse me, I am tired. It's been a long night." She turned on heel and made her way to leave the lab.

Dr. Banner could only nod his agreement, though he did not want to see Ana go. There was so much he wanted to ask of her. So much he wanted to get to know.

"Ana," Stark called out to her, turning around to watch her go. "You didn't answer my question."

Ana paused in her steps and turned around to look at Stark. "Your question?" she asked, her face filled with slight confusion.

Stark nodded as he pointed the metal prong her way. "Are you good at barbeques? Because I was planning this company picnic and your talents would be much appreciated."

The laughter that followed brought a much needed smile to Dr. Banner's face. He loved to hear her laugh. It was such an infectious sound.

"Yes, Mr. Stark," said Ana, not missing the look of surprise on the playboy's face from her answer. "I do have _some_ control. My Mama has taken advantage of my abilities one too many times. If you truly would like me to demonstrate, I would happy to oblige."

Stark allowed a sharp laugh of amusement to escape him as he nodded. "I'll take you up on that offer once this is all over."

Ana smiled and glanced at Dr. Banner once more before she turned and left the lab.

-o-

The moment Anamaria left the lab, Tony Stark turned to Dr. Bruce Banner and a large smile touched his face, that smile reminding the doctor of a shark.

"So," he said, walking toward the doctor's station. "She's quite something."

Dr. Banner didn't respond as he walked back behind his monitor and pulled up the gamma ray files from before. He wasn't going to respond to Stark's prodding. He had seen the way he goaded Ana and he was not going to fall for it.

"Did you see those breasts on her?" asked Stark, slipping his phone into his pocket before fiddling with the metal prong between his fingers. "You could motorboat those _all_ day..."

There it was. A twitch in the doctor's jaw, a hesitation in his hand as he moved it across the touch screen. The doctor wasn't completely immune. He was attracted to the woman and apparently a jealous sort, judging by the sudden frown.

Stark knew better than to press his luck on this subject and decided to go with something safer. He didn't really want the green guy to go all out at this time. He walked around the doctor as the metal prong danced around his fingers. "I still think you'd like it at Stark Tower. You really should come by. It's a very relaxed atmosphere. No tension, no surprises..." He reached out and prodded the prong against Banner's side. The sound of electricity emerged as it connected.

"Ow!" Dr. Banner jumped and turned to around to look at Stark, disbelief warring with amusement as he tried but failed to keep the smile from his face. Stark focused on Banner's eyes, looking for a hint of something aggressive.

Nothing.

Figures.

The man gets protective over a woman but prod him with a mini cow prod and he doesn't even blink...

It was a good thing that Stark didn't continue goading him about the woman.

Lord knows how he would have reacted then...


	11. Couldn't sleep

_I wanna run..._

_Run..._

_Smash into you..._

**Smash into You** – Beyonce

-o-

Chapter 11: Couldn't sleep

She couldn't sleep for obvious reasons.

After leaving the lab, she had stopped a passing man in gray army fatigues and asked for directions to the bridge.

The man made no effort in keeping his eyes away from her cleavage as he stuttered through some vague directions. She muttered an annoyed thanks and went on her way, trying not to show her disgust on her face. It was one thing to have Dr. Banner staring at her breasts, she wanted him to.

Any other male just rubbed her the wrong way.

She had found the bridge quickly enough and Agent Hill was there at her station with Fury at the command post. She had flashed a quick smile to the director before focusing on Hill, asking where her prison was so she could get some sleep.

Agent Hill had blanched slightly, cast a glance at Fury, before she cleared her throat and said that Ana was not spending her time in a prison cell. She then excused herself and showed Ana to a completely different part of the ship, one that was specially made to house their guests while they searched for the Tesseract. She was a late addition apparently.

Agent Hill led her to the very last door on the left and slid a card through the slot. It slid open and revealed itself to be the same size room as the one she had been in before. The only differences were the walls and floors were done in various shades of gray and there was actual furniture in room as opposed to just a simple bed. There was a desk and chair, a nightstand with a simple, modern designed lamp in one corner, a dresser and an actual closet. These were all in various shades of gray as well. Off to one side was a gray door that led to small bathroom. Well, better than all white...

"I've taken the liberty of stocking your dresser and closet with clothing that should fit," Hill had said, an embarrassed look on her face. "And I apologize for the ill-fitting one."

Ana had smiled and said it was quite all right. The agent had done her favor in all honesty. She wouldn't have known for sure if the doctor had been attracted to her as she was to him. Having that much cleavage on display had brought a welcome sign. _Oh_ _yes_ , _he had been..._

Hill had said nothing in response to her thanks. She simply handed the card to Ana and gave a nod before taking her leave. Once the door slid behind her, Ana had taken that moment to fully relax, pulling off the tight navy blue shirt and letting out a much relieved sigh before she walked over to throw herself on the bed.

She had lain there for hours. How had she known? There was a digital clock on the nightstand blinking away the minutes. She listened to the sounds off in the distance. The sounds of hundreds of footsteps above and below. Of the blades to the _Helicarrier_ making sharp slices through the air surrounding them... She counted the sound of the blades, hoping it would put her to sleep.

No such luck.

A loud thump from next door sounded a couple of hours later, like something heavy had fallen to the floor of the that room. After that there was silence.

Finally, just as the sun was apparently rising to bring the new day – she honestly had no idea, there were no windows but the clock was saying six in the morning- she got up from her bed and decided to go for a walk. She knew why she couldn't sleep.

It was a strange place with stranger people and this place felt too sterile for her tastes. She needed to be close to a window at least, somewhere she could see the outside. She had been underground for too long in her early life. She didn't need gray walls at this time.

She left her room, padding along barefoot, and made her way back up the corridor. She thought she had seen an observation deck not too far from here when Agent Hill had led her. She continued padding along in the corridors, not paying any mind to the SHIELD employees that were just starting their shifts for the day. She was searching for the deck; following some pull that she hoped was leading her to some source of natural light.

She had just turned a corner when she slammed into someone who was walking in the opposite direction. Warm hands reached out to keep her from falling back. The sudden pulse of warmth that emitted from her neck in response to the touch meant it could only be one person. She glanced up to find Dr. Banner's soft brown eyes watching her, the surprise at finding her there quite evident on his face. "Ana."

The racing of her pulse at the sound of her name from his lips was a welcome feeling. The giddiness that he had not released her but continued to stare down at her bringing a smile to her face. His eyes snapped down to her lips before he raised them back up to look at her.

"Dr. Banner," said Ana, the pleased feeling of seeing him quite evident in her voice. "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry."

His broad thumbs rubbed against the bare skin of her arms, sending a pleasant shiver up and down along her spine. He hesitated a moment before he finally released her and thrust a hand into his brown hair. "At this time in the morning? Where are you off to?" He paused and a slight blush touched his cheeks. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business."

"It's all right," she said, the smile becoming a little brighter. She was beginning to like his bashful side of him. "I was looking for the observation deck. The room I'm in has no windows and I don't do well in looking at nothing but walls. Sleep doesn't come easy enough as it is. What about you? Are you just leaving the lab?"

Dr. Banner gave nod as his hand fell away from his hair; the awkwardness was coming back slightly. He wasn't looking her in the eye. She noticed he tended do that with a lot of people when he was feeling uncomfortable. "I don't sleep well either... I thought a good shower was in order though. Sitting at a desk for hours without showering makes you aware of how dirty you are."

Her laugh brought his smile out and he looked at her again. It seemed he enjoyed her smile. She made a note of that. She would have to smile a lot around him, not that it was hard. The demon in her was pulsing with pleasant warmth and contentment at being close to him again. Not that she blamed her feral side. "When you are done getting clean, were you heading back to the lab?"

He frowned lightly at the thought and gently shook his head. "I was thinking of searching for the cafeteria in this floating hell. A cup of coffee would do me some good. Then back to the lab..."

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

A moment of silence.

The sudden flush that touched his cheeks and the bobbing of his Adam's apple were slight clues as to where his mind had automatically gone. His soft brown gaze flicking down her breasts and looking back up just as quickly verified where his thoughts had gone. "Uh..."

_Oh... OH! If only, doctor, if only..._

She suppressed the pleasant shiver that was threatening to break through, the pulse from her demon urging her. _Do it... Do it! He craves for you; can't you see it in his eyes? His feral one hungers for you... All you have to do is follow him back to his room..._

Her throat had tightened considerably at the thought, the sudden lust that had gripped her taking her by complete surprise. She had never felt such an urgent need before... Then again, she had never come across a male who had caught the attention of that part of her before.

"I-I mean... for coffee," she stammered, trying to make her voice sound as steady as possible. "When you're done with your shower, we can grab some coffee and head to the observation deck. You look as if you could use a break."

"O-Oh,"said Dr. Banner, the flush in his cheeks growing deeper. She thought it was a trick with her eyes but when she had blinked and focused on his features it was still there. Embarrassment. Disappointment. "That sounds good. I won't be too long."

"I'll wait outside in the hall for you," said Ana, the smile coming back to her face. If anything this entire situation was funny. They were acting as if they were young teenagers discovering their sexuality for the first time. Actually... That was a good analogy.

Ana continued to smile as she watched Banner walk past her and made his way to the corridor that their rooms were located. He had turned around to glance at her and watched her as he continued on. She smiled at him and raised a hand, wiggling her fingers in goodbye.

Banner smiled in response, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he walked on, not watching where he was going.

Ana's smile nearly faded as two female agents appeared around the corner in deep discussion with one another, carrying several cases of what appeared to be weaponry. They were walking toward the doctor, who had not noticed them. "Um, Dr. Banner look ou-"

There was a loud, resounding crash.

Dr. Banner had walked right into one of the women, colliding with their several cases and everything spilling to the floor, including the doctor and the agent. The woman let out a shocked gasp as she fell on her backside. "Hey! Watch where you-" The words died right in her throat as she saw who she had crashed into and the fear was quite clear in her eyes. "D-Dr. Banner! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" She hastily moved away from the doctor, ignoring his apologies and grabbing the cases, not wanting his help. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't get-" Her words died right in her throat and she quickly took the cases, got to her feet and ran off without another word. Her co-worker smiled nervously at the doctor before she too ran off without a backwards glance.

The dead look on Dr. Banner's face was telling enough. He stared after where the agents had disappeared around the bend of the corridor and swallowed the tightness in his throat. He was still on his knees from where he had been attempting to help the woman, the dead look in that soft brown gaze pulling at the heart strings of Ana.

She quickly moved up the corridor to him and reached out to wrap an arm around his broad shoulders. "Come on doctor, get up..."

He didn't say anything as he allowed himself to be brought to his feet. He felt a warm arm wrap around his waist and a firm hug was received on his end before he was led back to the corridor that housed their rooms.

-o-

He hated it here.

Everyone knew who he was. What he was.

Nearly everyone walked on eggshells around him, afraid to even say the wrong thing to him. Even Fury and Steve Rogers bore that hesitance in their words, in the way they held themselves around him.

The only one who didn't was Tony Stark. He treated the doctor like any other Joe. He wasn't afraid of setting him off the wrong way. His very demeanor was meant to annoy people. He seemed to get a kick out of trying to get a rise out of Banner. The doctor just found him amusing.

The other one was now helping him into his room and helping him to sit down on his bed. He felt a small, warm hand brush the hair from his brow and back into place. He had no idea why she even tried, it never stayed in place.

She didn't say anything to him.

She allowed him his needed silence and sat down beside him on the bed. She took his hand in hers, intertwined their fingers and rested her head against his shoulder. Comfort. That was all it was. Comfort, empathy and much needed understanding.

A few minutes had passed while they sat there in silence before Ana gave his hand a squeeze. "Go take a long warm shower. I'll be here. When you're ready, we'll go get some coffee."

Warmth. He was starting to like that about her. The warmth she showed toward him. In her tone, in her gestures, in her very skin...

Subtly, without meaning to, he turned his head and brushed his cheek against her hair, feeling the soft curls. Warmth churned in the very pit of his lower abdomen and something else took its place. He gently released her hand and got up from the bed. He smiled at her in thanks before he went to dresser to grab one of several white towels that were neatly folded in the top drawer. He grabbed clean underwear, a worn pair of beige slacks and a brown shirt.

Despite the comment of only packing a toothbrush, he had hindsight to know that his stay was going to be much longer than a day. He was prone to wearing his clothes days at time in Calcutta. He would simply wash them in the local community laundry mat like the rest of the residents and wear the local garb until his clothes were clean. Worn but clean.

He turned around, about to tell Ana that she didn't have to wait, but she was laying on his bed and curled up with his pillow. She looked about ready to go to sleep but she had glanced at him and smiled. "Go on, I'll take a nap while you're in there. Take a _long_ a shower..."

He chuckled a bit and disappeared into the bathroom. It was a tiny bathroom with a shower stall in one corner, a toilet next to it and a tiny sink with a tinier mirror. He set his clothes on the toilet seat and stripped. He didn't have ripped abs or a pure muscular physique, like Thor or Captain America. He was more subtle. A firm stomach, broad shoulders, a spray of dark hair against his chest. He was attractive but in a quiet way. The fact that Ana always looked at him in that hungry way, as if he were the only man on Earth, set off something in him.

He turned on the water in the shower, turned it as warm as he could tolerate before he stepped in and grabbed the military issued soap. He started lathering his chest, his thoughts going a mile a minute at those women's reaction to him, Ana's immediate comfort afterward.

His thoughts circled around and around her until other, less honorable thoughts took their place. Memories of her heaving breasts, the lust shining in her brown eyes. Eyes filled with promises of pleasure and satisfaction.

Desire took him, something he had never allowed himself to feel. Something he could never feel, not with triggering that other part of him...

But, he _craved_. Oh, how he craved.

He reached with one hand and gave one stroke.

_Heaving breasts, full lips, and the sound of breathless gasps. Begging for more..._

Two strokes, three...

His other hand braced against the metal wall of the shower, dropping the soap in the process, while trying to keep his breathing even though his imagination was running with him.

Four, five...

_Faster..._

He imagined her voice, whimpering to him, craving him, urging him on...

With a grunt, his body twitched as his back arched, his daydream of her taking on a life of its own.

Six, seven, eight...

_Yes... just a little more..._

His heart retained a steady rhythm, something it never had done before.

He thought of her breasts bouncing, her breathing heavy, her own back arching as she fell apart in his arms...

Another grunt, another groan and he was gone, desire and relief flooding his senses...

He took in few deep breaths, shocked at what he had just done. It had never happened like that before... There was always a risk.

This time... _nothing_ happened.

He continued to stand under the spray of the shower, which had long since gone cold, before he finished cleaning himself off and shut of the water. He climbed out and dried himself, the sudden relaxed manner about him catching him off guard. It was as if the Other Guy had fallen asleep... He couldn't even sense a twitch in any of his muscles.

He got dressed and opened the bathroom door. Of course, finding the reason behind the warmth and the calm.

Ana was asleep on his bed, curled up into his pillow and her mouth slightly hung open. The sound of heavy breathing escaped her mouth. Warmth, calm and ever present lust.

At the sight of her on his bed, his body awoke, the slight twitch in his right arm and another above his eye a sign. The Other Guy was craving the real thing. She was right there for the taking...

He buried those thoughts right away. Thinking of her in such a way was different from actually trying to pursue her. He didn't know her...

Guilt prodded him then, the fact that he had done what he done. Right, when she was here in his room... No, she deserved better than that. Besides, now wasn't the time to think of anything like that... Be it lust or otherwise. He had a job to do and once it was done, he was gone. Back to Calcutta and back to where it was safe.

Still, why did bother him to think of leaving her?

A nudge from his other conscious and a deep feeling of possessiveness.

_Mine..._

That was the only thought that reached him. He wished things were so simple...

Sighing, he threw the towel into a metal bin for dirty clothes and walked over to the bed. He reached and gently tapped Ana on her shoulder. She jumped in fright, her eyes wide and her red veins darkening with her quickening pulse, before her eyes found him and she immediately relaxed.

"Sorry," he said, "I thought you wanted to get coffee."

"Oh, yes," said Ana and she yawned and stretched. "I didn't think I'd fall asleep so deeply." She arched her back and satisfying cracks could be heard. The sight of her arched back and her chest straining against the snug gray shirt brought a sudden rush of desire.

_Mine..._

He ignored the thought as best as he could.

She dropped her arms and smiled up at him. "Are you ready?"

"Mm," was all he said as he nodded quickly and turned around to head to the door. He waited for her but didn't want to risk looking at her. Not with the way he was feeling...

"Good."

Ana got up from the bed and followed after him, her bare feet slapping against the floor. He looked down at her feet and then at her. "Why are you barefoot?

She stopped beside him and smiled, a teasing glint in her eye. "Well, I usually sleep nude but I don't think they'd appreciate that here. Barefoot is better than all clothing. Maybe that's why I couldn't sleep. Too many clothes on."

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and just nodded in that nervous way of his. He ignored the lust that was prodding at him from the Other Guy.


	12. They Had  Gotten Their Coffee

_I'm in this fight and I'm swinging_

_And my arms are getting tired_

_I'm trying to beat this emptiness_

_But I'm running out of time_

_I'm sinking in the sand and I can barely stand_

_I'm lost in this dream_

_I need you to hold me..._

**Scared of Lonely** – Beyoncé

-o-

Chapter 12: They Had Gotten Their Coffee

They had gotten their coffee, a luke warm spill from the cafeteria, and made their way to the observation deck that Ana had been searching for. It was nothing fancy, just a large pane of glass that spanned the length of one corridor. There were a few binoculars on stands every few feet and no chairs. Well, it was a government vessel not a five-star cruise.

They went to stand at the railing that prevented people from touching the glass and stared at the rolling gray and white clouds that passed below them, a beautiful imitation of the sea. Ana immediately felt better at seeing the sun and the smile on her face was one of relief. Now, _this_ was better.

Dr. Banner had relaxed significantly from their walk to and from the cafeteria, perhaps because Ana didn't feel the need to talk. She would make a comment here or there about the SHIELD staff walking by or a question as to what they could be hiding behind this or that door. She didn't bombard him with questions of himself. She gave him space but in a comfortable way. He really liked that.

He was beginning to find he really liked a lot about her.

"Ana, can I ask you a personal question?" Dr. Banner looked at her as they both leaned on the railing, their cardboard cups grasped in their hands.

"Well, that one wasn't personal, but you can on the next one," she said, her smile turning teasing as she cast her brown eyes his way.

He chuckled as he shifted his feet, the little steps bringing him closer to her without him realizing it. Ana's own body responded by sliding a little closer along the rail. To a passerby, they looked like a couple lost in a world of their own. It was funny how neither were quite aware of how their bodies craved to be close whenever they were around each other.

"The woman you call your mother," he started cautiously, his soft brown gaze moving quickly down to his coffee. "She saved you from that place. She's been watching over you all this time. Have you ever... hurt her?"

Ana's eyes took on a distant look as she turned her gaze out toward the window. "Her name is Sidonie Brandt nee Dupont. She is an angel. I don't know why she saved me. She has these maternal instincts that tend to override her common sense." The smile appeared again. Dr. Banner loved that smile. It was gone a moment later. "It happened only once. I was fifteen the moment she took me from that place and brought me to the surface. I thought she was like the others and my demon lashed out in protection." She glanced at Banner and tilted her head. "You remember the video? When Loki had my demon-" she paused and shook her head, correcting herself, "- _me..._ by the neck?"

Dr. Banner nodded, remembering that moment in time when Ana had caught the Other Guy's full attention. "Your hands had changed."

" _Oui,_ " said Ana in agreement. "They changed. What you saw there was a hint of what my body could change into." She looked up at him and then away, a look of guilt touching her features. "I had changed completely and lashed out at her. She was a spry woman and managed to avoid my attempts at attacking her, but she didn't avoid all of them. She kept assuring me it was OK, I was safe. No one would hurt me again. Even when one of my stabbing claws had found their mark in her shoulder she kept assuring me I was safe." She gripped the cup and shook her head. "I could have killed her, but I didn't. I could have made her explode in flame, but I think my demon knew she truly meant no harm. Her words had reached that human part of me. She wasn't afraid of me, she wanted only to protect me... Like a mother would their own child... Ever since then, she has been Mama." She smiled and threw her head back, trying to shake the dark feelings that touched her. "Thank goodness she had enough foresight to see that coming. She had brought a group of people along for the rescue, people she trusted and who owed her a life debt. The moment I had relaxed, they came in to get us and, well, the rest is history."

Dr. Banner was thoughtful moment as he took a sip of his coffee and then cleared his throat. "How is it that your mother had managed to keep you and herself out of SHIELD's radar? If you've changed before then they should have seen you."

"Mama is a very smart woman and it helps when you're an heiress with much time on your hands. My aunt Jenn had survived a car crash when they were younger, one that killed both of their parents. Unfortunately, she could not move her body anymore. The most she could do was move her eyes and blink. That is what started my mother on the path to becoming a geneticist. She wanted to find a cure for her sister's condition. She had no luck over the years. The best she could do was have a machine built for my aunt, one that could voice her thoughts so at least Mama could hear her again. Mama's added more to that system as the technology advances. My aunt is smart, if not smarter, than Mama. She is an _excellent_ hacker. She can bypass any security system, secure any connection, and remove any evidence of my existence without being detected. That is how we survived despite my... incidents. We're on the run but we still live. We're happy."

She glanced at Dr. Banner and her thoughtful look searched his face. "If you'd like, I can have her do the same for you. Once this is all over, you can truly disappear without worry of anyone finding you. Without any files on you or any way of tracking you, you can finally be free."

He liked the thought of that. To finally be free? He couldn't escape the Other Guy but at least he didn't have to worry about anyone else coming after him. The smile on his face was the first bright one she had seen since she met him. It was one of hope. "Could she do that?"

" _Oui,_ " she said with a smile, the warmth in her heart wrapping itself tightly around in a sweet bubble that made her chest feel full. "Give her time but she would be able to. It'll have to start slow, with little pieces here there. I'm sure there's much on you which means much would have to be erased." She tapped her finger against the cup. "I suppose the best way to start is to distort the trace on you. You can be spotted from anywhere with any GPS satellite, but Jenn could plant something for now while she worked on removing you from any active computer system of interested parties looking to find you. It's easier with me since she's been erasing my existence from day one. But I'm sure she can... I'll have to call her and Mama. I wonder if Mr. Stark would let me use his phone, I didn't know why I didn't ask him before-"

Her rambling stopped the moment broad fingers had tucked a copper brown curl behind her ear. She looked up at Banner to find his soft brown gaze studying her intently. "You would do that for me?"

"O-of course," she said, caught off guard by the intimate look in his eyes. "You're a kindred spirit. We both are in the same boat at this time. If I can offer you a life line, why shouldn't I?"

There it was. A hint of green in his brown eyes quickly followed by desire. He had leaned in closer, his fingers trailing tantalizingly again her jaw line. He suddenly stopped and closed his eyes, taking in a much-needed breath to calm himself. He swallowed tightly and pulled his hand away.

Disappointment filled her. The Other Guy had been there for just a split second. Her demon released a slight sting in the back of her neck. Frustration...

"I think," he began as he took a step away from her, "I think Tony's still in the lab. Let's... Let's head there. I'm sure he'll let you use his phone."

"Ah, sure," said Ana, looking slightly frustrated but she said nothing else.

They left the observation deck and headed back to the lab, both looking particularly disappointed.

-o-

Stark was more than happy to oblige Ana in the use of his phone.

Apparently, he had looked over Ana's files during his breaks from locating the Tesseract and found her physical anatomy interesting. He asked if he could gain access to the rest of the files on her they hadn't seen. She gave a tentative maybe.

While Ana had left the lab for privacy to contact Jenn, Stark had turned to Dr. Banner and gave him an appraising look. "Well, you look frustrated..."

Dr. Banner, who had went back to his station to resume his work, paused and looked at Stark. "What do you mean?" he asked as he turned back to his screen, trying not look as obvious as he felt.

Stark walked over to his station and hopped up onto the desk. "I know that look. You want her. Or... does the Other Guy want her?"

Silence greeted this but surprisingly Banner answered. "It's... a bit of both."

"Ah," said Stark, nodding in understanding as he grabbed the metal prong from before and played with it between his fingers. "So... Go get her."

Banner paused and swallowed, the topic at hand making him uncomfortable. "It's not that simple."

"Lust never is but that doesn't stop every sexually driven person from pursuing their desires."

"I just met her yesterday," he said in response, his eyes glancing at Stark as a frown touched his features. "It's not... right. Not with all this going on."

"Ah hah!" Stark pointed the prong at Banner's face as a triumphant smile appeared. "So, there's more than lust involved. You _like_ her." He paused as he poked the prong into his own hand, jumping slightly at the sharp electric sting he received. That thing did hurt. He shook his hand out. "Not that I blame you. She's what most men would call a 'brickhouse.'"

"A what?" Banner paused in what he was doing and focused his attention on the playboy.

"A brickhouse. You know, all breasts, all ass, small waist? She's short but her body seems want to make up for it." Stark's laughter at the frown on Banner's face was enough to ease it a little. "I'm just saying, you two have one thing in common with your raging monsters. If you like her, then get to know her. We're going to be here a while. Loki is in no position to do anything. I don't think Barton and Selvig could build the machine for the portal in a day, not without getting all the parts they need. We should have a few weeks at most. That will give us time to locate the Tesseract and give you time to get to know Ms. Brandt, be it in the biblical sense or not."

"I've got work to do..." was all Banner said in response, ignoring the chuckle Stark gave in reply as the other man hopped off the desk and went to his own station.

Still, it wasn't a bad idea.

Why shouldn't he get to know Ana? It's not like the Other Guy acted up around her in any way outside of lust. The act in the shower this morning was proof enough. She had a good effect on him.

His look was thoughtful as he typed away at the keys, occasionally glancing up to look out the glass windows to the corridor outside. Ana was pacing back and forth in front of the lab, she seemed to not want to stray too far. He liked that. Being able to see her kept the Other Guy at ease.

She was talking in a hurried manner, her hand occasionally gesturing about. At one time she paused, blushed then tucked her head down as she as she nodded while voicing the movement to the other party on the phone. It was at this point that she stopped in her pacing and looked straight at him and he could see the words form on her full lips as she spoke to the phone. You didn't have to be an expert at reading lips to see those words form. It struck him deeply and it brought the desire again.

_I care for him..._

His hands twitched and he closed his eyes to take in a calming breath.

"Bruce you ok?" Stark asked, his hazel eyes showed no worry, just curiosity. He glanced at Banner then out the window to see Ana, who had resumed pacing out in the corridor. "Ah." He gave a nod and turned his attention back to the screen in front of him. "Go get her. It'll do you two a world of good. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife... That's all I'm saying."

Banner didn't respond to that.


	13. She Was Pacing

_There was a boy_

_A very strange, enchanted boy_

_They say he wandered very far, very far_

_Over land and sea_

_A little shy and sad of eye_

_But very wise, was he..._

**Nature Boy** – Eden Ahbez

-o-

Chapter 13: She Was Pacing

She was pacing back and forth along the corridor as she dialed the secure number to reach Jenn. The line rang once before her aunt's computerized voice greeted her. Ana allowed the relief to flow through as she greeted her aunt in French and asked to be connected to her mother. Jenn gave her the affirmative, advised her to be safe, and that she loved her. Ana smiled and voiced her own love in return.

The line clicked and rang again.

It picked up on the second ring and Sido's voice was one of relief at hearing her daughter's voice.

"Oh, thank heavens," said Sido in French, her voice sounded husky with emotion. "I'm so glad to hear from you. You have no idea how worried I was."

"I'm sorry Mama, I got sidetracked," said Ana in return, her French bringing much needed comfort to her nerves. "I'm safe here." She paused briefly as she glanced up the corridor, looking for any signs of understanding from the staff that walked by her. They looked at her curiously but no one revealed they understood her words. She was safe.

"Being under the thumb of SHIELD is not what I would call safe," said Sido. "Why have you not tried to escape?"

Ana began pacing again. "I... I _feel_ safe here. Like when I'm with you. There are some good people here. They don't care about my other self..."

A moment of silence and then understanding emerged from the French accented voice on the other line. "Ah, Dr. Bruce Banner. Of course... If there was anyone who she would grow attached to, it would be someone who was like you."

She paused and turned away from the sight of the passersby, not realizing she could be seen from windows of the lab. She felt the blush in her cheeks as she ducked her head down and nodded. "Yes. She is... calm with him. I've never felt anything like this before."

"Oh dear," said her mother as the understanding in her voice shown through. "You've been feeling a need, correct? An urgency from your other self?" When Ana didn't respond, Sido tried a different approach. "When you are far from him, do you feel anxious? Worried?"

"Y-yes."

"She's claiming him," said her mother, the tone in her voice one of resignation. "If not him, then his other self. Goodness, I didn't see this coming..."

"Mama, what are you talking about?"

"Ana, if you feel safe there, then stay there with Dr. Banner as long as you can. I am fine. I'm with your aunt." She didn't answer her daughter's question. "This Tony Stark you told Jenn was trustworthy, he's asked for all of the files on you?"

"Yes, but Mama, what do you mean she is claiming him?"

Silence and then, "Your other self had found the one she sees as a mate. I'm sure if you've been feeling these emotions it could only mean he must be feeling something in return. Otherwise, you wouldn't find any reason to stay." She sighed heavily. "Just stay close to him. If she trusts him with your safety then I will as well. I need to hear it from you though... Do you care for him?"

Ana glanced in the window and found Dr. Banner behind his station. He was looking straight at her though, the look in his soft brown eyes curious. She heaved a sigh and the sound in her voice told her mother all she needed. "I care for him..."

"Then that's all that matters. If you're staying there then you are going to be mixed up in whatever he is in with SHIELD. Get to know him. Jenn has been gathering intel on what SHIELD has been gathering these people for. With two geniuses on the path of locating that magic cube, they'll need all the time they can get. We'll help them in tracking the thing and we'll also help in throwing out some false leads for the team that inhuman bastard from Stuttgart has working for him. Whatever materials they're searching for, we'll be sure to delay them as long as we can from obtaining them."

"Mama, you two have to be careful, as well as the others. Don't get caught."

"We'll be fine my angel," said Sido, the smile could be heard in her voice. "This isn't our first run. Just do your part in keeping Dr. Banner and yourself calm. Why they thought keeping you two in that floating hell was a good idea..." She sighed heavily. Ana smiled at her choice of words. They were the very same ones Dr. Banner had said that morning. "I won't lie to you. I'm worried. If you two were to change... The damage of either of you alone would be immense. But together? Forget it, that thing would crash in a heartbeat and risk all of those lives on board."

"He calms me," said Ana. "Whenever I feel the anger, he's there. One touch from him and I relax."

"That's a blessed thing. But be careful. There may be a situation in which you both may not be able to calm each other."

"Right... Mama, thank you. I love you."

"I love you too my angel. I'll speak with Mr. Stark later about those files he wants. He may be a good ally in the long run."

"Of course. Bye Mama."

-o-

She ended the call and stared thoughtfully at the phone before she turned and walked back into the lab. Once inside, she handed the phone back to Stark. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. My Mama says she will call you later about those files. They're also going to help you in your search for the cube. She says you two will need all the help you can get."

Stark smiled as he took the phone from her and slipped it in his pocket. "Really? Great. Oh, and call me Tony, I think we're past all that Mister/Miss crap."

"All right... Tony. I suppose since you have been calling Ana anyway I can oblige," she said to Stark but her attention was on the doctor.

He turned to face back to his screen as he watched Ana move toward Dr. Banner's station. He had to suppress a smile as she hopped onto the desk as close as she could without disturbing him. Banner glanced at her and smiled in that way that meant he liked that she was close.

Oh, those two had it bad...

No one else said a word as the two men worked. Ana sat quietly as she watched Banner, occasionally asking a question as she pointed out to a particular reading on the screen. For the first time, Dr. Banner was relaxed as he worked. He answered her questions with patience and understanding, knowing that she was not familiar with anything pertaining to what he was working with. Sometimes, she would lean over to get a better look at the screen, her hand close to the keyboard.

It wasn't accident when his hand would brush over hers as he reached out to point something out...

-o-

Without realizing, Bruce Banner had taken Tony Stark's advice.

He had gotten to know Anamaria Brandt over the week that followed.

Every morning, they would join each other for breakfast at the cafeteria and then for a cup of coffee on the observation deck. They would share lunch with Stark in the lab before going off to have dinner. They would speak about their pasts, their experiences with their other selves, the guilt they carried for taking lives...

He spoke about his life before the experiment that turned him into the Hulk. He was born on December 18th, 1969 to an alcoholic father, atomic physicist Dr. Brian Banner, and to a loving mother, Rebecca. His childhood was less than ideal with his father's mood swings but his mother loved him and he loved her in return.

It seemed they shared the same beginnings with alcoholic and abusive fathers and loving mothers. Whereas Banner's father had succeeded in killing his mother in one of his rages, - who did so while protecting her son – Ana's father succeeded in getting himself, her family and her entire village killed.

Despite these rough upbringings, Banner was exceptionally intelligent for a child his age and grew up to earn his way into Harvard. That was where he met Betty Ross. They had begun dating throughout his college career. He became a leader in gamma radiation research and had even worked with Erik Selvig for brief time. His life had been a good one. He had a great career, a beautiful woman who loved him and his future was bright.

That changed sometime in 2006. It was when Betty's father, a general named Thaddeus Ross, who enlisted the help of Banner in a military research group to apparently make soldiers more resistant to radiation. It was a ploy. The experiment was an attempt to recreate the affects that created Captain America. Obviously, it didn't end well... Needless to say, he lost everything that day.

Ana didn't have much else to share that he didn't already see in her files. Her childhood before that incident that changed her life was brief. She was only six when it happened. There were mostly bad memories of her father but her real mother and brother had been bright spots. Short lived but bright.

When discussion of their pasts finally waned they moved onto more recent events.

He spoke regarding his travels in attempting to find a cure, the fight in Harlem with that true monster, his low point in life...

She spoke of her mother Sido, her aunt, their own private organization that did all they could to protect them all from being found. She spoke of the events that triggered her changes throughout her own travels. Unlike Banner, there was no hint of a cure for her condition. It was an alien part that had merged permanently with her. It had grown with her, merged so fully with her body, that even an attempt at trying to remove the particular alien brain stem would result only in her death. It had been tried in the past by those at the LIFE Foundation with messy results for those making the attempt.

At this point, trying to control it was the only way. It meant that she had a chance at living peacefully without hurting anyone. It was something Banner had just begun to realize himself and hoped to achieve.

Ana was not a genius like her mother and aunt, but she was still smart. She had only to be explained of something once, shown how it worked, and she would get it right away.

It was this ability that helped Dr. Banner through that week.

He enjoyed explaining how something worked, showing her on the screen what it looked like and seeing the bright spark of understanding in her brown eyes as she nodded. She enjoyed learning new things.

He was getting to know her. He was caring more and more about her...

-o-

It had happened exactly one week from when they had met.

He was on his way back from the lab, after working with Stark in narrowing down their search for the cube. Ana had left the lab earlier after being summoned by Fury in another failed attempt at getting info from her. SHIELD had not detected the breach in their system from her aunt. Apparently, Jenn was better than what Ana had said in avoiding detection over the span of a week. He hoped she was all right...

He was looking to get some sleep before getting back to work. Since he had not seen Ana, he was hoping she might float by in the morning for their usual cup of coffee... Instead, he had found her pacing back and forth in front of his bedroom door, the look on her face was tense.

"Ana?"

She paused in her pacing and the relief on her face at the sight of him brought rush of warmth and worry.

"Bruce, thank goodness," she said, rushing to him and taking him by the hands. "I need to talk to you."

Worry turned to anxiety as he studied her face. She looked paler than usual. He didn't like it...

"All right, come on. We'll talk in my room." He kept a firm hold on her hand as he led her to his bedroom and slid his card through the slot. The door slid open and he pulled her in, glancing back to make sure no one saw them. Once the door slid behind them, he locked it and slipped the card key in his pocket. He turned to her and frowned lightly, pulling off his glasses to get a better look at her. "What's wrong?"

"I spoke with Fury today and... well he thinks I'm a threat."

The look on Banner's face darkened considerably. "You're no more of a threat than I am. It's been a week and neither of us have reacted in anyway."

"Not in that way," she said, waving her hand in an dismissive gesture. "He means because he cannot find anything on me. He has no idea who I am, where I'm from, who I work for. I show up out of nowhere, at a convenient time and place, fight Loki and warm my way into being trusted. He keeps asking all these questions: What am I here for? Why am I here?" She started pacing again, her worry becoming clear. "I keep telling him I'm only there because he wants me to be. I'm a threat because of what I am but that is all. Of course, he doesn't believe me-"

She was stopped from pacing any further the moment he stepped into her path and braced her shoulders in his hands. "Relax. You have nothing to worry about. Stark and I know all there is to know, and you trust us, right?" Her immediate nod brought a smile to his face. "The others trust you: Black Widow, Thor, and Captain America. You've done nothing to warrant their worry. Fury is a spy, gathering info is what he does." He rubbed her arms then before bringing her into a tight embrace. "He's really not threatened by you, at least not by this you." The giggle he got in response was what he was looking for. "He's just frustrated because he doesn't know everything about you. That goes against his very nature. He wants to know everything about everything."

Her laugh was an even better response and he pulled away to smile at down at her. "Don't worry. You've survived this long without being found. Trust your mother and your aunt to watch over you. Trust us to look out for you here."

"I trust you," she said, her brown eyes staring up into his. Silence fell between them. It was comfortable but tense silence that brimmed with the sexual tension that they were finally aware of after spending every waking moment together.

She pulled fully away from him and reached out to take the glasses from his hand. She turned away from him and walked toward the nightstand, placing the glasses carefully on the surface. Her chest heaved with a much-needed sigh...

"Ana?"

"You feel it, don't you?" She turned face him, her brown eyes large with emotion, a blush painted on her caramel cheeks. "It's always there between us." She walked toward him and stopped a few feet shy. "Am I alone in what I feel?"

Banner swallowed hard, took a moment compose himself, and slowly shook his head. "No... You aren't alone."

She took a step closer and reached out to him, hesitantly at first, looking for any sign of protest from him. When she saw none, she brushed her warm fingers against his cheek. He leaned into her touch, his hand reaching up to hold hers in place.

"I don't want to lose control... I'm afraid to."

"I am too... But, we keep each other calm. That's something, isn't it?"

He moved in closer and brushed his lips carefully across hers. They were as soft as he imagined...

She responded immediately, her lips parting as her arms reached out to wrap around his neck. His own arms snaked around her waist and brought her closer, his tongue quickly finding its way around hers as their kiss deepened.

Her heart beat in a steady rhythm against his own despite the urgency in their kiss. He turned her around, his large hand reaching down to grasp her firmly by the ass. He groaned into the kiss, his hardening arousal making itself very clear. One errant thought went through his mind at that moment: She really was all breasts and ass...

His steady heartbeat began to rise at that moment and he hesitated, breaking away from the kiss with a soft gasp. "I... can't. Not here... I might-"

Her response was a soft purr from her throat, a sound that vibrated from her very torso and against his chest. A sound so inhuman but just what he needed to hear. It was a soothing sound and one that relaxed his heartbeat in an unexpected way. "Keep your eyes on me Bruce. Don't focus on your heart... Just focus on me."

He did so, watching as she stepped away from him and pulled off the snug, black t-shirt she had been wearing that day. She threw it to one side, her breasts concealed by a gray sports bra, before she removed that as well and threw it aside to join with the shirt. She stood bare breasted before him and moved closer to him. She took his hands and placed them carefully upon her breasts, her eyes still focused on his. "Keep your eyes on me but feel them..."

He did. His large hands began to massage them, his broad fingers moving slowly at first. He kept his eyes on her and began to feel more confident. He tweaked a nipple, kneaded her left breast before he finally broke eye contact to swoop down and take one by the mouth. His lips wrapped around the taunt tan pebble, his tongue began to swirl around it. Her soft gasp of surprise, followed by a lustful moan, hit him straight to his groin. Despite that, his heart remained calm.

He focused his attention on her other breast, feeling her small, warm hands reaching out to untuck his shirt with a sharp pull. Her nimble fingers then began working on the buttons of his shirt, slowly and carefully. Each of her movements were meant to be calming and soothing, it worked. His heart didn't race, it beat a steady rhythm and his arousal grew even more.

She finally unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it apart, her hands running over his broad chest, curling around his chest hair. He pulled away from her reluctantly and tried to pull out of his shirt in a quick manner, his hands were shaking. She reached out to him and stopped him. " _Vas-y lentement_ _,_ Bruce... Take it slowly. There is no rush."

He took in a breath, relaxing his body as best as he could despite the arousal that was coursing through him. He had been dreaming of this all week. Dreaming of her, thinking of her, finding his self-satisfaction with every mad thought and desire for her and never once losing control. He wanted this to happen so badly and he didn't want to mess it up. He listened to her and took it slowly, gently removing his shirt and throwing it over to land on the floor beside hers.

“ _Bien,_ " she said, reaching out to take him in her arms as he moved to her, wrapping his arms around her and taking her lips in another kiss. Her warm fingers buried themselves in his wavy brown hair as his chest pressed against hers, the feel of their calm heartbeats a soothing one. He had moved her toward the bed, his hands guiding her hips as they took one careful step after another. His hands finally moved to the button of her pants and undid them, carefully.

The moment they loosened, his broad fingers snaked their way around the waistband, inching them down and away from her curved waist. "Hold onto me," he said in a grumble as he moved her arms around his neck. He wrapped a firm arm around her waist and lifted her up, his free hand pulling the pants down and away from her hips. She kicked them off and he was free to feel the soft skin of her hips. Her skin was so warm...

He set her back down and worked on the button of his own slacks, his hardened arousal brushing against her thigh. His hands had begun to tremble again.

"Let me," she said softly and gently brushed his hands aside as she leaned up to kiss him. "Relax _mon_ _ami_ , just focus on my eyes."

So, he did.

The trembling subsided as she undid his slacks and gently pushed them down from his hips. He kept his eyes on hers as he helped her to pull off his slacks and kicked them away, that one movement impatient.

She kissed him again and he returned the kiss, the last bit of clothing between them slowly and carefully finding their way to the floor as well. Now skin to skin, he guided her to the bed, his large hands grasping her firmly by the ass while his hardness sought out the warmth between her legs. He was careful as he laid her down, throbbing and aching with need. His hands remained steady as he moved between her legs.

_So close, so close..._

That was the mantra that went through his head, his steady heartbeat just starting to rise. He quickly focused on Ana's brown eyes and felt himself relax. It was then that a thought, an annoying and unwelcome thought, made its way into his head. He licked his lips as desperation touched his soft brown eyes. "I- I don't... How can we..."

 _Damn it!_ How could he not have thought about protecting himself and her? He was too good for that, he couldn't... _Damn!_

"Look at me Bruce," said Ana, seeing the rise in desperation and anger. He wanted this so badly, but he wouldn't do so without ensuring they were both safe from causing an unwanted event. His brown eyes focused on her own and she allowed a soft smile on her lips. "Being what I am and what I can do, my emotions play a big part. Especially during my cycle. I take a shot every three months to keep my hormones in control. The benefit of that also helps in times like this. Mama had insisted on it after she experienced for the first time just how easily I could be triggered when I got my period. "

Understanding touched his features and then blessed relief. "Oh, thank god," was all he said in response before he stole a kiss and his hands moved under her hips, lifting her up higher. She could feel his heartbeat rising and she broke away from the kiss, only for him to move to her neck and suck on the skin there. The red veins darkened in response, a burst of pleasure emerging from the base of her neck. She stifled the gasp from the pleasure, not expecting such a sensitive response and not expecting the sudden wetness that began to flow from the apex of her legs.

"Slowly _mon_ _ami_ , take it slow."

He paused, realizing what he was doing, and slowly moved away from her neck, glancing down to see the red veins in beneath her skin pulsing with her rising heartbeat. He had to keep her calm as well. If he got too excited then she would too...

He focused on her eyes again before pressed a gentle kiss to her brow. "Sorry."

"No harm done," she said, letting out a relieved breath. She glanced up at him and smiled. "You're doing very well."

He returned her smile and he reached slowly to brush a broad finger against her wet slit. The flash of green in his eyes came and went as desire quickly overcame him. "You're so wet..." He slipped a finger inside of her, feeling the tight, slick warmth, and his arousal throbbed almost painfully in response. "God, you're so tight..." he said in a hiss of breath but his gaze remained on hers.

She didn't make a sound at the feel of his broad finger within her nor when his thumb began to move against the nub of her clit. Her eyes revealed it though and he continued to move his fingers in an expert manner, loving the gentle gasp he finally got in response was his thumb brushed against her in just the right way. He was so painfully hard but he loved the look on her face at that moment.

" _Pas plus_ , Bruce," she said, her breathless voice retaining a steady tone despite the pleasure her body was experiencing. "No more. Please..."

"Now," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her, his hand moving from her wet slit. He moved closer to her, adjusting his hips while her legs slid willingly apart in response. He held himself with one hand and kept his eyes on hers as rubbed the tip against her wetness. Her hips lifted a little more in response and the sudden movement guided his tip right inside of her.

They both hissed in pleasure and relief from the intimate contact.

He took in a deep breath, she was tighter than he thought. So _warm_...

"Slowly Bruce," she said.

And he took it slow, inching himself deeper into her as he kept his eyes on hers. As long as he kept his eyes on hers their heartbeats stayed calm. He continued on that first slow thrust until he was fully within her, the warm walls around him tightened once as she let out a pleasured sigh at the feel of him fully within her.

He swallowed the tightness in his throat as his body began to tremble, but he remained calm until the trembling subsided. He swallowed again and slowly withdrew. A choked noise escaped from him at the rush of pleasure from the feel of her tight, wet warmth.

 _Oh god, she feels so good,_ was the thought that emerged then. He slowly thrust back in and this time a groan escaped him, the pleasure too much for him to contain. He kept his gaze on hers as he began a slow rhythm of thrusting in and out of her, enjoying the feel of her around him, loving the sight of pleasure in her own brown eyes.

Her full lips had parted as a breathy moan of pleasure escaped her, the sound hitting him straight to groin. He thrust in hard in response, slamming up against her and watching as her breasts bounced from the sudden movement. She gasped from the movement and he stopped right away, his brown eyes growing wide. Fear sliced through him. Had he gone too far? She had said to take it slowly.

"Ana? A-are you hurt? I'm sorry I didn't-"

" _Do it again_ ," was her only response as she wrapped her legs to keep him from moving away. "Do it again. That felt so good."

He studied her for a moment, watching her pulse against her neck retain a steady beat and the red veins were faint and relaxed. Relief flowed through him before desire took over again and he thrust into her, sharp and deep like before.

"Oh _yes,_ just like that," she said, her hands reaching out to pull him down against her. He could no longer see her eyes but he focused his gaze on her neck, keeping count of her pulse as well as his own as he thrust in again. She bounced, her pulse quickened and then relaxed.

He continued in those sharp, deep thrusts and a knot of pleasure was beginning to build in his lower abdomen. Her nails gently raked against his back as he held onto her hips, her soft voice whispering encouragement and satisfaction.

 _Yes,_ he thought. Y _es! You feel so good. God, I needed this. I needed you so badly. Cum for me sweetheart, please. Cum for me._ The knot continued to tighten in his lower abdomen and the pleasure was beginning to build. He held it off as long as he could, each thrust in and out of her bringing him closer. _Cum for me..._

He thrust into her deeper than before, his thought emerging from his lips without him realizing before it was too late. "Cum... for me. I... need you..."

Those were the words that set her off and the sharp cry that escaped her lips was one of shock and pure elation. Her walls fluttered around his hardness, drawing him in deeper before they suddenly tightened to the point that he could not pull away, the sudden gush of wetness followed by the most pleasurable warmth he had ever experienced set him to follow right after her.

He groaned out his release as the tightened knot in his lower abdomen exploded from the tension, his heartbeat now beginning to climb as the euphoric feeling of his climax twanged the very ends of his nerves with pleasure. His heartbeat had just reached that breaking point but by then it was too late. He was already falling back down to earth and his body was relaxing from the afterglow.

He collapsed on top of her, feeling her rising heartbeat now settling down with his own.

He couldn't believe that it actually happened.

He'd made love to her and he didn't lose control of himself. Ana had kept him calm throughout the whole thing and it had worked. He moved himself carefully out and off of her and settled himself at her side. She looked up at him and the smile that touched her face was one of triumph. "See? We keep each other calm..."

His response was a tired and pleased smile as he reached out to her and pulled her against his chest. He brushed the copper brown hair away from her sweaty forehead and planted a firm kiss upon her brow. She simply yawned and curled up against him, her ear pressed against his broad chest to listen to his heart. He kept an arm wrapped around her as he tiredly played with a curl with his other hand.

Relief, calm and peace...

He hadn't felt this in a long time. The sound of her breathing becoming deep and even told him she hadn't either. She had fallen right to sleep. He smiled at that as his arm tightened around her and he brought her closer, pressing another kiss against her temple before he closed his eyes and finally drifted off into peaceful sleep himself.

 


	14. To Sleep So Deeply

_When my days look low_

_Pull me in close and don't let me go_

_Make love to me_

_So that when the world's at war,_

_Our love will heal us..._

**One plus One** – Beyoncé

-o-

Chapter 14: To Sleep So Deeply

To sleep so deeply and completely was something Dr. Bruce Banner hadn't experienced in such a long time.

Waking up to the feel of a warm body entangled with his own, the feeling of warm breasts pressing up against his chest, and the utter satisfaction of the events from last night was something else entirely. It was hard not to see why Dr. Banner had awoken with a smile on his face. For the first time in a long time, he felt almost normal.

He glanced down at the beautiful woman that was lying on his chest and tried not to laugh at the sight of her. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, her copper brown curls a tangled mess about her face. Her mouth was open and a soft snore could be heard. She was so deep asleep she hadn't moved away from him during the night. She had stayed tangled around him, moving only when he moved so that her body adjusted itself to the contour of him, her head remaining where it was. It was so terribly sweet and endearing. Even in her sleep, she brought him warmth and comfort.

A fondness touched his heart at the sight of her and he reached out to brush the mess of curls from her face. She stirred lightly but did not wake, instead she wrapped an arm around his waist and tightened her hold, a low purr could be heard vibrating from her throat. The red veins in her neck, once relaxed, had darkened and her pulse quickened.

"Mine..." she grumbled, her voice a husky growl that was nothing like the soft tones she usually spoke to him.

Desire.

That was his first reaction.

Possessiveness was the next, an acute awareness that the woman in his arms had just claimed him for her own. Her other self was making her subconscious thought known. He was hers now. He knew these feelings were not only his own. The Other Guy had responded to the soft purr, the husky growl... He had liked it a lot. The urgent feeling of _his_ welled up in his chest. He was hers. The two sides of her had claimed him.

The two sides of him were more than happy to accept that claim.

He had lain there for several minutes, unwilling to move and face reality. The beeping of his digital wrist watch notifying him of the hour, which was ten. He sighed heavily and gently reached out to awaken Ana, shaking her gently and pressing kisses against her cheek.

"Ugh, _non_ , I need more sleep... So warm and comfortable..."

Oh, she could say that again...

"Ana," he said, really not wanting to move now that her thigh had brushed against him. He hardened in response. Oh god, he was in trouble. "Ana, come on. I'm late getting to the lab."

A grumble was her response before she moved her head and sat up, brushing her hair from her eyes. "Are you getting paid to look for that cube?"

A brief moment of silence followed and one in which a dumbfounded Banner said, "Uh... No."

"Then, there's no need to think you're late. You need to rest so rest." She promptly fell back against him and snuggled deeper into him.

He swallowed.

He was dangerously close to falling for this woman. "Ana..."

" _D'accord!_ I'm awake." She sat up in the bed and turned around to frown at him, her brown eyes showing her displeasure. "Happy?"

His member gave a painful throb in response at the sight of her flushed cheeks and bare breasts. The green flash in his brown eyes were a hint to the lust and desire that touched him. "Not quite..." he said, his voice a low grumble.

Ana saw the flash in his eyes and her gaze traveled to the sight of his hardness. She swallowed back the tightness in her throat, knowing that his other self was affecting him in a minute way. She took in a breath and leaned down to press a kiss against his cheek. "Not here, _mon ami._ If we give in to our other selves here, we may truly lose control... Once we leave this place and, we are both safe from others, _then_ we can give in _all_ we want."

At her words, he quickly sobered, the lust giving way to reason. Oh god, what had gotten over him? Of course, the Other Guy...

He didn't get a chance to apologize before her small warm hand had wrapped around his hardness and gave it a firm stroke. "It does not mean we cannot take it slowly and carefully though..."

His responding groan was answer enough...

-o-

Tony Stark was sitting behind his station, his fingers moving over the screen in front of him. He had been alone for most of the morning. He would occasionally glance up at the station Banner would sit at this time and wondered off hand if the doctor wasn't feeling well. It was already well after eleven in the morning. He was usually at this station before Stark came in and that was by eight or nine...

Speaking of the devil, the door slid open at that moment and Banner walked in, his movements rushed and nervous. The door slid closed behind and he called a greeting out to Stark as he moved to his station and reached out to his screen, pulling up the files he had been working on the night before.

Silence fell as Banner's fingers moved about in a rush manner, he looked distracted but not in a bad way. He had a slight smile on his face and a satisfied and far off look in his brown eyes, as if he were remembering something especially good...

_Oh my god..._

Stark had to keep the smug smile off of his face as he turned back to his screen. "So," he began, "You're later than usual this morning."

Banner paused in his movements and glanced at Stark, having been pulled from his reverie. "Uh... What?"

So eloquently put by the great Dr. Bruce Banner.

"You're late. You feeling ok? You're looking a bit red under the collar there." Stark looked at his colleague, enjoying the sudden look of embarrassment that now touched Banner's features. He was looking a little flushed.

"Um... Y-yeah," he said in response, nodding too quickly to emphasize his point, before turning back to his monitor. He swallowed in that nervous way of his. "I just overslept. Had to rush."

"Overslept, huh?" Stark glanced at the doctor, studying his face before he looked back at his screen. His eyebrows had risen slightly and a hint of the smug smile could be seen now. "Well, I suppose a bit of a lie in did you some good." He tapped away at the keyboard as he lowered his head, squinting at the screen to make it look he was reading something. "Did Ana sleep well?"

"Heh, she didn't want to wake u-" The comment was suddenly cut off with an audible clack of teeth snapping closed. Apparently, he didn't mean for that to get out.

_Bingo._

Stark turned to look at his friend. He really did like the guy and considered him, truly, a friend. Banner was one of the few honest people he had ever met in his life. That was rare in the world Stark grew up in. And as any true friend, a good ragging on was called for in a situation like this.

"Ah, she didn't?" The smile on his face was telling. He'd caught him. He got up from his stool and walked over to Banner's station, trying not to laugh at Banner's attempts at looking busy. He leaned on Banner's desk and propped his chin up on his hand, staring at him with keen interest. "Now, how _exactly_ do you know that?"

"Uh..."

"Tony, stop being a dick," an accented voice spoke from the doorway.

They glanced over to find said woman making her way into the lab with two cups of coffee in hand. She was wearing snug black fitness pants and a matching black tee. Her boots thudded against the floor with each step she took as she made her way to Banner's station. The smile that automatically touched Banner's face was one of relief and pleasure.

"Bruce and I had mind blowing sex last night and this morning. We needed to sleep." Ana set the coffee down on the desk within reach of Banner. "Here, _mon ami_ , _une tasse de café._ " She leaned up to press a firm kiss against his mouth, much to Stark's amusement and Banner's obvious embarrassment and pleasure. He didn't get the chance to return the kiss before she pulled away, turning to frown at Stark. "There. Now you don't have to beat around the bush. You know."

The disappointment could be seen on Banner's face before it turned into a slight frown. He didn't say anything. No, he didn't say anything, but she was close beside him. His large hand had reached out grab her possessively and firmly by the backside. He gave it a squeeze, pulling her even closer to him. She wasn't going to stray far. Not since last night and this morning. It was as if she had opened up a set of flood gates. Knowing that he could have her without fear... Just thinking about it set off a part of the personality he tried so hard to keep in check. The Other Guy was making his thoughts _very_ clear at this moment.

_Mine..._

Her response was a breathless gasp and the red veins in her neck darkening against her skin.

Oh yes, _she_ had felt it. Ana's other self responded quite beautifully and had shown the Other Guy exactly what he needed to see.

He was going to claim her and _soon_. She was going to be willing and ready.

"Whoa," said Stark, his hazel eyes dancing with amusement as he pushed off the desk and backed away from the two of them. "I thought the sexual tension would be a lot _less_ than this."

"Oh no, I think it's been made much worse," said Ana in a breathless way as she turned in his grasp and reached out to brush the hair from his eyes. "Bruce, focus on me." The moment his brown eyes focused on hers, the grasp on her ass lessened as he began to relax considerably. He swallowed and blinked, looking as if he were coming back to himself. He looked at where his hand was and a deep flush filled his cheeks.

He immediately released her and tried to move way. "Ana, I-I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Sh, _mon ami_ , don't apologize." She reached out to him and pulled him close. "Slowly, remember? We spoke about this. Slowly and carefully. Once all of this is over. We'll be free soon and then... _Then_."

A flash of green appeared in his soft brown gaze, an impatient look that was filled with hunger. The Other Guy did not want to _wait_ to claim what was his. He _wanted_ his fiery one _now_. He had allowed their calm lovemaking, as Bruce and Ana wanted.

Now, he wanted her _his_ way.

"All right then, glad I could help you two," said Stark, making his way back to his station with a chuckle. "Just do me a favor and don't do anything near my stuff." He gestured to his immediate area before pointing to everything else. "All of that is free," he pointed back to his station. "Just stay away from here."

"Asshole," Ana muttered in annoyance and affection toward Stark before she turned to Banner and took his hand up to her lips to kiss his fingers. "Bruce, get to work. I'll grab us some brunch."

His smile was one of warmth and fondness as she released his hand and went to walk away. "Tony, anything you would like for brunch?"

"Grab whatever Ana, you know I don't care. It's all government issued shit anyway."

Her responding laughter brought a smile to Stark's face. The moment she disappeared and the door closed behind her, Stark turned to Banner and his smile turned into a knowing smirk. "So, you followed my advice. Good for you. Feel better?"

The frown on Banner's face was answer enough.

_Yes and no..._

Stark just chuckled.


	15. It Seemed a Breaking Point

_We've been dreaming_

_But who can deny_

_It's the best way of living_

_Between the truth and the lies_

_See who I am_

_Break through the surface..._

**See Who I am** – Within Temptation

-o-

Chapter 15: It Seemed a Breaking Point

It seemed a breaking point had been reached.

Over the three days that had passed since Bruce and Ana had gotten together, something had changed. Both within them and around them.

The staff members of SHIELD seemed to finally become aware of how close Dr. Banner and Anamaria Brandt had become over the course of a week. They were being watched closely now. Every moment there was an agent making rounds to stop by the lab to see how the tracking of the Tesseract was going. It was mostly Agent Hill or the male agent that Stark was familiar with, Phil Coulson. Sometimes it would be one of the others, like Rogers or Romanoff. Other times, it was some nameless man or woman that they would never see again except in passing.

Ana didn't like the constant stream of followers. Neither, it seemed, did Bruce. There was only one person, aside from Rogers and Romanoff, that Ana really liked to have around and it was Agent Coulson. He was always reluctant to bother Bruce and her. Instead, he would stick around Tony, allowing some semblance of privacy for the budding relationship between the apparent new couple. It seemed he really did not want to interfere with what could be the key for the doctor to remain calm and the Hulk at peace. And it seemed he also understood that if anyone needed some happiness, it was Dr. Bruce Banner.

He didn't know much about Ana outside of the fact that she could also change into a raging monster that was almost as bad as Bruce. That didn't mean he didn't like the person he was finally meeting. He didn't try to pry any info from her that she wasn't willing to give, which was more than she could say about the other agents that were sticking their noses in unwanted places.

She always had a welcome smile for Agent Coulson when he stopped by.

Aside from that, Ana had not had a moment alone with Bruce. It was beginning to wear down on her.

Either there was always someone there in the lab to keep up appearances of getting updated results of the tracking the cube or someone was following them around the base as they went about their routine of having their meals together. They could not even retire for the night without some agent loitering in the corridor and watching them, in an unassuming way. They all made the pretense of being busy with one thing or another but Ana knew it was all bullshit. She couldn't even step outside her door in the middle of the night without coming across some agent walking past, eying her with careful study.

She hadn't had a moment alone with Bruce in three days and her demon was causing sharp stinging pains throughout her body every moment she was not near him. The tension and stress were getting so bad that the red veins were now a prominent feature on the front of her neck and her arms.

She had been calling Bruce _mon ami_ for some time. For that was what he was, her friend. He was a friend that was quickly becoming something more. The term didn't feel right anymore now that she was not around him as she had been all the previous week. He had so quickly become _mon amant._

_My lover..._

-o-

Ana sighed heavily as she left the bridge, her shoulders slumping heavily as she rubbed her aching arms. The red veins were pulsing so badly that she had to revert to wearing long sleeved shirts just to keep the people around her from freaking out at the sight of it. Every now and again a twang of stinging pain would emerge from the base of her neck, the stress was setting her on edge.

She had just left another meeting in which Nick Fury had tried, and failed, to find out who she truly was. He had even gone so far as to take a DNA sample in hopes of finding something. Ana didn't protest. She knew he wouldn't find anything unless she wanted it to be found. She was right. There was no hit on the recognition program that SHIELD possessed, which bore an expansive array of information on nearly every registered citizen on the planet.

Ana simply said, "Why do you not go with my word and trust me. Have I done anything so far to prove otherwise?"

Fury had not been amused and sent her off with warning that they would be meeting again.

Ana was not happy with the thought but if it meant staying close with Bruce, she would swim through a lake of fire itself if it meant a chance of remaining close to him. She needed him. He kept her calm. He made her happy. Like her mother, her demon wanted to protect him and keep him safe but in a different sense...

_Mine,_ the thought had emerged from the depths of her subconscious. _My mate... Need... Crave... Must stay..._

She paused in front of an empty corridor as the thoughts faded away. It was happening a lot more now. Her other self was would be triggered more easily if set off the wrong way. She was afraid of this. SHIELD was inadvertently making her more on edge by trying to watch Bruce and her in the case they did show signs of... well, being on edge.

If they had just left them alone, things would have been much easier. Much calmer...

The sudden feel of a hand grabbing her by the wrist made her jump in fright. She was pulled into the empty corridor and was about to lash out when the pulse of pleasure that emerged from the base of her neck calmed her right off. There was one, and only one, who her demon would respond to in such a way.

Bruce had pulled her close against him and embraced her tightly, one hand burying itself in her hair and the other gripping her tightly by the waist. He had buried his face into her neck and took in a breath, the sigh that emerged one of passionate relief. He stayed there for a moment, feeling her pulse, before he pulled away and took her firmly by the hand.

"Bruce?"

He didn't say anything. He simply stared into her eyes with such an intensity that took her breath away. He finally turned and walked down the empty corridor, pulling her firmly behind him as he looked about in that nervous way of his. His grip on her hand had gotten tighter as he led her down a series of corridors and stairwells, his path leading them down into the bowels of the _Helicarrier._ Each time there was a hint of someone coming by, he would quickly pull her into a different direction and continued on in their descent.

Ana didn't protest.

She was just glad to finally be near him, just the two of them. Her other self was in full agreement.

It continued in this way for some time, the place was ridiculously huge, before he finally stopped in front of a large door that looked to lead to one of the cargo bays. He pressed on one button on the key pad, a single clear electronic beep that Ana recognized as a calling. One she often used in the past when there was place she needed to escape from if it was riddled with security. As it had then, the keypad was overridden and the door opened.

_Aunt Jenn..._

She didn't think much on how it was that Aunt Jenn was helping Bruce in finding a place where they could be alone. He had pulled her inside and the door slid closed behind them, locking them in and keeping everything else out. It beeped once before short circuiting. No one was going into that particular cargo area anytime soon.

He pulled her down several aisles of stacked cargo, ignoring the stairwells that led to the higher levels. He pulled her toward a corner of the bay that was hidden by a single row of cargo, heavy metal walls and piping. It was here that Bruce pulled her roughly around him and thrust her back against a metal crate.

She gasped at the feel of the metal corner stabbing painfully into the flesh of her back and a growl emerged from her, the veins in her arms suddenly pulsing. She didn't like that.

The smirk on Bruce's face was different from anything she had ever seen before. It wasn't until he had stepped under the light of the single fluorescent lamp in their corner that she saw it. There was a hint of green about his eyes and a tint of it in his flesh.

He had studied her for just a single moment before he rushed forward and slammed against her, his hardened member making itself known against her thigh. He reached out, pulling her roughly by her hair, and captured her lips in a bruising kiss that nearly made her toes curl. His hips rammed up against her in an urgent need, a soft sound escaping from his torso. It was a growl...

She broke the kiss and tried to look at him but he had grabbed her by the hair again and pulled, hard.

A snarl automatically erupted in response. She wasn't _quite_ the submissive type.

A satisfied look appeared in his green tinted eyes as he saw that the veins pulsing against her neck were beginning to rise against her jawline. "That's right baby girl, get angry." His voice was a husky growl as he leaned down to kiss her neck before nipping it none too gently.

The growl he got in response seemed to excite him. He ripped the button to her pants in his haste to get them off of her. His fingers dug into the skin of her hips as he pulled her pants and underwear down in one sharp movement, not caring if he left a bruise. He stepped away only a moment to pull them down to her feet before he had rushed forward, not giving her time to react accept to give another growl of anger that seemed to set him off.

He pulled on her left leg, pulling it out of the leg of her pants, boot and all, and lifted high as his other hand ripped apart the button and zipper to his own slacks. He didn't even bother to hide his desire. The moment his hardness was free, he angled himself just right and thrust up into her with a grunt of satisfaction, one hand holding her beneath the left knee and the other grasping her hip. He had pounded her into the edge of the crate, causing her to reach out and hold onto it for support. The sharp gasp of surprise she gave off, followed by the deep growl in annoyance and pleasure, was something he had been longing to hear.

"Yes," he said, a pleasured groan mixing with the word as he withdrew and slammed roughly into her. "Mine... My fiery one." He pulled out slowly, only to thrust up once again, slamming against her before he started grinding his hips into her.

Ana's growls were constant now but they were mixed with pleasure and longing. Her other self was showing slightly in response to Bruce's dominant display, the slight yellow glow was in her eyes and the feel of heat emanating from her body were definite signs.

"They can't keep you from me," he said, his words mixed with groans of pleasure. "You're mine. Always." He was thrusting in and out of her at a faster pace and Ana was a mix of snarling fury and aching pleasure as a knot in the pit of her lower belly started to pulse and grow.

"That's right sweetheart, show me." He thrust up deeply and held it there for a moment before he started grinding his hips once again, nearly moaning with satisfaction as Ana started crooning with delight, her walls tightening around his hardness. "Show me how much you need me." He withdrew and thrusted up into her so hard that the metal crate had bent inward beneath her body.

She was beginning to grow more leaner and taller in her frame, the red veins pulsing beneath her skin as they grew down to the ends of her fingers and started to appear beneath the hem of her shirt and grew down toward her legs. Her fingers had curled into the metal crate, the sound of metal bending and creaking under her touch, her growls now turning into moans of pleasure.

Bruce was starting to show signs of change, his body frame was getting larger and the dark blue shirt he wore was tightening around his shoulders and biceps, a few rips and tears forming. It wasn't the only thing growing larger.

Ana let out a harsh moan of pleasure as the hardened length of him began to thicken and grow with each thrust into her. Oh god, he felt even better than she remembered...

At the sound of her moan, Bruce slammed into her, wanting to hear the sound again. He wasn't disappointed, at the sound of her moan, and the metal crate groaning from the sudden force, he thrust even deeper into her.

"You're mine," Bruce groaned as he continued thrusting, the hint of green in his eyes growing more prominent as he stared into the glowing, yellow orbs of Ana's. "Say it."

She simply moaned in response. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. He thrust into her again and her cry of pleasure nearly undid him but he held steady.

"Tell me Ana, tell... me... you're... mine!"

He punctuated each word with a powerful thrust into her and her glowing, yellow orbs were cut off as she closed her eyes and reached out to him. She grasped him by the shoulders, her fingers digging painfully into his skin, as she leaned back against the bent crate and spread herself as wide as she could go so he could reach that right spot, her tight wetness fluttering around him. The tense knot in the pit of her lower belly was so close to releasing. He pulled out, angling himself in just the right way, before he thrust in and hit the spot that was craving for release.

"Oh god, yes... Yes! I'm yours-!" Her words were cut off as her climax hit her with such a force that it ripped a scream from her throat.

It was answered by a deeper growl of satisfaction and relief as Bruce thrust sharply into her one last time, his hand releasing her hip and reaching out to grasp the crate, his fingers digging into the metal and bending it out of shape even more as he held himself firmly within her, his throbbing release pulsing against her tightened walls.

The metal crate finally gave in and collapsed, taking the couple down with them, the contents spilling out in an array of various shades of gun metal black. Ammunition it seemed.

Neither noticed or cared.

There was nothing but panting breaths for the next several minutes before they both began to feel calm relief. They slowly reverted back to their quiet selves, their raging monsters now satisfied at being together again.

A moment of silence passed before Bruce carefully lifted himself of her, his familiar soft brown gaze studying her with regret in his eyes. "Ana, I-"

"If you say you're sorry Bruce, I am going to beat you with this crate," said Ana, looking very relaxed and very happy. Bruce had to smile at that and held his tongue.

"We needed this. We need each other. Our other selves crave each other. We can't stay away like this again." She reached out to him and pulled him down so that his head was resting within the crook of her neck. She let out a relieved sigh. "This was just a taste of what could happen if we don't stay close... If it happens again, who knows how bad the damage could be."

Bruce said nothing in response, he simply tightened his hold on her and sighed heavily.

He needed her.

She needed him.

They had reached a breaking point and it had been made clear.

They would just have to try their very best to remain as close as possible if only to remain calm.


	16. After Finding Another Way

_I'm lost in you_

_Everywhere I run_

_Everywhere I turn_

_I'm finding something new..._

**Lost** – Red

-o-

Chapter 16: After Finding Another Way

After finding another way out of the cargo bay, Ana had an enjoyable romp through the corridors of the _Helicarrier_ with Bruce. They were both trying to hold onto their waistbands of their tattered pants while trying to avoid being seen by any of the many staff members of SHIELD.

Thankfully, there weren't many around, which was strange. The place was usually crawling with them.

Ana wasn't going to complain, it made their journey easier. By the time they made it to their rooms, Bruce had pressed a firm kiss against her lips. "I'll meet you here."

"Mm," was all she said in response before she turned and ran off to her room to change into a pair of pants that had the button and zipper intact. She combed her fingers into her hair and then pulled it up into a loose bun. Feeling so much more relaxed than she had in the last three days, she left the room just in time to see Bruce coming out of his from across the way.

Their eyes met, a moment of silence passed, before they both smiled and laughed. They were both feeling especially good and they met each other in the middle of the corridor, their hands automatically reaching out to intertwine. They made their way back to the familiar corridor of the lab, the one place in this floating hell that they called their own.

Tony Stark was behind his station, staring at some graphs of the most recent readings that had recently been done on Loki's scepter. At the sound of the door sliding open, he glanced over to find the couple walking in hand in hand and looking much more relaxed.

"So, it worked," said Tony, the smile on his face could best be described as shit eating. "Good!" He pulled his phone from his pocket and went to dial a number, not noticing the flustered look on Bruce's face.

Bruce looked at Ana and gave a nervous smile. He pulled her further into the lab, not looking at her as the one question he hoped she wouldn't ask emerged from her lips.

"What worked?"

"Hello my darling Jenn, the plan was a success," said Stark, holding up the phone as he continued to work on the graphs on his screen.

"Are they relaxed now?" came a cool, female voice from the speaker of the phone. Ana stopped in surprise, recognizing her aunt's distinct computerized voice. She let go of Bruce's hand and gestured for him to move on. He hesitated a moment but went to his station.

" _Oh_ yes," said Tony, looking over to Ana before his usual smirk played on his lips. "Mrs. Rage Monster's red veins are now reduced and faint. The Big Guy has no hint of green around the gills."

"Good," said Jenn, a hint of humor could be heard through the coolness. "By the way Mr. Stark, the enhancements I had made on your decryption program should cut the waiting time down. You should expect some results soon."

"Jenn, where have you been all my life?" said Tony, his hazel eyes dancing with amusement.

"Hiding Mr. Stark," said Jenn in reply. "I have to go. I still have some work to do on those files you requested. Ana?"

"Yes  _Tante_ Jenn?" Ana asked, feeling confused as to how Tony had managed to worm his way into her aunt's good graces. Wait, this was Tony. He had managed to work his way into her own good graces. The bastard was too charming for his own good.

"Don't let this happen again," said Jenn, her cool voice now bearing a hint of displeasure. "And that goes for you as well Dr. Banner. You two are unique with the powers you possess. You are calm with one another. Do _not_ deny your other selves because of whatever fear of public displays you may have. Stay close."

Ana did not reply to this but her aunt did not need to know that she understood. The line was disconnected with a simple click and beep.

Bruce was sporting an impressive blush by this time and he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. The fact that he had just been told off by a woman he had never met in his life, and yet she still managed to make him feel like he was five, wasn't something he had come across before. "She's... nice," he said, trying to break the silence.

"She's fantastic. I'm thinking about making her an offer to work for me," said Tony, slipping his phone in his pocket. He looked at Ana and smiled. "You weren't kidding when you said your aunt was an excellent hacker. Can you believe she found a way to enhance my decryption program? I'll have access to all of SHIELD's files in a matter of hours at this rate."

Ana didn't reply. She stared at Tony before glancing at Bruce, the slight frown on her face was telling. "Bruce... What did they do?"

"Uh..."

Wonderful response by the good doctor.

"Your aunt had hacked into the autopilot system of one of the jets in one of the hanger bays." said Tony in response as he resumed his work. "She then crashed the jet into the wall of the hanger and caused a huge fire. It kept most of the staff busy while Bruce went to grab you."

" _Attends_ ," said Ana, holding up a hand to get Tony's attention. "Jenn would never do something so reckless..." She trailed off at the cocky smile on Tony's face. "It was _your_ idea? _Comment_ _?_ How did you talk her into something so stupid?"

"What can I say? She likes me," said Tony, his smile only growing as he turned back to his monitor. "I have that effect on women."

There was shocked silence as Ana stared at Tony, a brief moment in which she realized that Tony was truly a good friend to Bruce and, in some odd way, to herself. If he had not managed to convince her aunt to cause that distraction, Bruce wouldn't have had the chance to come to her...

Her laughter filled the silence of the lab as she dropped her face in her hands and shook her head. " _Ah, mon dieu!_ Tony, you are such an asshole!"

"That's beside the point," said Tony as he left his station and took Ana by the arm. He walked her over to Banner's station, the doctor had since resumed working on his own graphs now that he was relaxed. Tony gently pushed her toward the doctor, who reached out to steady her, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist and holding her close. He glanced at Tony, a confused look in his eyes.

"What matters at the moment is keeping your two raging monsters as calm as possible." He looked between the couple as he reached out to grab that stupid metal prong he loved so much from Banner's table. He played it between his fingers, his smile disappearing. "What's happened these last three days would have set off the both of you in a heartbeat. You," he pointed the prong at Ana, "have done something no other woman in the world could have done. You've helped unleashed that side of him that he had locked away for _quite_ a while. Now that he's had a taste of it, that's it. There's no going back. You have to keep him calm." He looked at Bruce and pointed the prong at him. "And you, don't worry about what everyone else thinks. They don't matter. If you want to grab her ass then grab it. If you want to fuck her brains out as much as possible, then do it. What matters is keeping the both of you as satisfied as possible to keep your other selves calm." He fiddled with the prong as he sighed heavily. "Now, any questions?"

" _Oui_ ," said Ana as she turned slightly in Bruce's firm embrace around her. Though he was blushing deeply from Tony's speech, he hadn't released his hold around her. "Do you have to be such a _blunt_ asshole?"

Tony smiled and reached out to poke her with the prong, the electric sting making her jump and a snarl emerged before she could stop it. "Why, yes I do. Any other questions? No? Good, I have a few of my own."

He had walked around Ana this time and reached out to poke Bruce with the prong, making him jump with a grunt of pain. He frowned as he turned to look at his friend. "I'm going to rip that thing out of your hand if you don't quit it."

"Nothing?" Tony had focused on Bruce's eyes and a look of relief appeared as he took a step back. "Good, you've got a lid on it." He looked at the couple with interest as he stepped away but not before another voice had joined in.

"Hey! Are you nuts?" Steve Rogers had walked in, dressed in his suit of star spangled honor as the Captain America. His mask was down though, revealing his classically handsome face. His blue eyes focused on Tony as he stopped by Bruce's station.

"Jury's out," said Tony in response before he focused his attention again on Bruce and Ana. "Now, back to my questions. Before you two met each other, what was your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?" asked Rogers as he took a step closer to the desk.

Tony focused his attention on the Captain and pointed the prong his way. "Funny things are."

Rogers frowned in response. "Threatening the safety of everyone on board this ship isn't funny." His frowned lessened a bit as he looked at Bruce and Ana. "No offense."

"None taken," said Ana with a smile before it faded. "Jerk," she muttered as she shifted a bit in Bruce's grip. He reluctantly released her so he could get back to work but his foot had reached out, hooking around her calf to keep her from moving away further. She smiled at Bruce and leaned against his shoulder to watch him.

"It's all right," said Bruce, looking at Ana pointedly before focusing back on his screen. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

When Roger's eyes settled on Ana, she simply smiled in an innocent way but said nothing.

"You're tiptoeing Big Man," said Tony as he walked away, turning slightly to point the prod at Bruce. "You need to strut like you do around Ana."

"Ah," said Ana, the interest catching in her brown eyes as she looked at Bruce, her smile teasing. "Is that what you did earlier?"

Bruce didn't say anything as the blush in his cheeks deepened, he kept on typing on his keyboard. Still, if one looked close enough, there was a hint of smug satisfaction in the smile that graced his lips.

"And you need to focus on the problems Mr. Stark," said Rogers, not noticing the interaction between the two. He frowned as he watched Tony walk over to drop the prong on his desk and grab something from his bag, a shiny aluminum package that he then proceeded to rip open.

"You think I'm not?" said Tony as he walked back to Bruce's station. He reached into the package and pulled out a few blueberries. "Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before?" He threw the blueberries into his mouth and continued talking while chewing, despite his teeth and tongue now taking on a violet hue. "What isn't he telling us?" He dug in the package again as he swallowed. "I can't do the equation unless I have all of the variables."

Roger's frown had deepened as he stared at Tony, his blue eyes revealing his doubt. "You think Fury is hiding something?"

"He's a spy," said Tony as he walked behind Bruce's station to stand next to Ana, who was leaning comfortably close against Bruce as she watched him work. The good doctor looked quite content to have her there as his fingers danced across his keyboard. It was then that the Captain noticed the very intimate and comfortable air about the couple. They were radiating extreme calm, pleasure and contentment. It wasn't something he expected to see when he came down here.

"Captain," said Tony, catching the soldier's attention from the couple. "He's a spy. He's _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets." He then glanced at his friend, trying not to laugh at the sight of Bruce's foot rubbing against Ana's calf. She remained leaning close beside him, a small hand rubbing soothing circles against his back. The look in her eyes was of hooded pleasure. Those two were so cute it was sickening. "It's been bugging him too, hasn't it?"

Bruce's foot had stopped moving against Ana's calf as he looked at Tony, not expecting to be dragged into the conversation. "Uh..." was his response as he glanced at Ana then at Rogers, "I-I just wanna finish my work here and-"

"Doctor," said Rogers, having caught the hesitation in Bruce's words and mannerisms.

Bruce looked at the Captain before he glanced at Tony and then at Ana, sighing heavily. She simply continued to rub his back in soothing circles, her warm body giving him much needed support. He looked away from her as he pulled his glasses from his face and folded them, his large fingers fiddling with them as they often did when he was thinking. "'A warm light for all mankind to share.' Loki's jab about the cube."

"I heard it," said Rogers, still not understanding where the doctor was coming from.

Bruce took in a breath as he looked at his friend and pointed his glasses at him. "Well, I think that was meant for you," he said, his soft brown eyes focusing on the relaxed look on Tony's face.

Tony simply held out the bag for Bruce to take some blueberries, which he did. He then held it to Ana, who smiled in response as her brown eyes danced with pleasure. " _Merci,_ " she said.

"Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news," said Bruce, popping a couple of blueberries into his mouth.

Roger's confusion was evident on his face. "The Stark Tower? That big, ugly..." he trailed off, catching he slight frown on Tony's face at his choice of words. He continued on. "...building in New York?"

"It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source," he looked at Tony as he ate the last of his blueberries. "That means it will run itself for... what, a year?" he asked Tony as he started to unbutton the cuffs of his sleeves and pulled them up against his forearms. The sudden heated look in Ana's eyes was not hard to miss nor was the darkening of the red veins in her neck. Apparently, she liked the sight of Bruce undressing in any way or form. Or she simply was just remembering their most recent get together.

"It's just a prototype," said Stark by way of explanation, as if the simple fact that it will only run for a year was a disappointment. He looked at Rogers and shrugged. "I'm _kinda_ the only name in clean energy right now is what he's getting at."

"So, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business anyway?" Bruce glanced at everyone in the room as he turned away from the computer and set his glasses on the desk. He was hesitating, Ana could sense it. She took the initiative and reached out to grab his wrist and wrapped his arm around her. Bruce didn't put up any protest as his arm tightened around her and he began to relax a little more. He looked at her and smiled.

"I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's files," said Tony, pulling his phone out as he touched the screen, watching the progress his program was making. He smiled as he walked around the desk toward Rogers, pocketing his phone as he looked at Ana. "Where is your aunt located anyway? I would really like to thank her in person."

Ana laughed and shook her head but she said nothing in response, knowing that Rogers was listening in quite keenly.

"I'm sorry," said the Captain, the disbelief clear on his face. "Did you say-"

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge," said Tony, cutting the Captain off, focusing his hazel eyes on the soldier. The smile gone from his face. "In a few hours, I'll know every dirty little secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." A moment passed before he held out the silver bag in his hand toward Rogers, the smile back on his goateed lips. "Blueberry?"

The Captain didn't take the offer. He simply stared at the philanthropist in mild in disgust. "Yet, you're confused why they didn't want you around..."

Tony simply rolled his eyes as he turned away from Rogers and walked back to Bruce's desk. "An intelligence organization that _fears_ intelligence?" He turned back to Rogers and shook his head. "Historically, _not_ awesome."

"I think Loki is trying to wind us up," said Rogers, the frown on his face deepening as he took a step toward Tony. " This is a man who means to start a war and if you don't stay focused he _will_ succeed." He paused in front of Tony and, at that moment in time, looked every bit as the Captain he truly was. "We have our orders. We should follow them."

Tony didn't look impressed. "Following is not really my style..."

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

Tony looked as if he was trying not to laugh as he pointed the bag toward Rogers. "Of the people in this room, which one is a: Wearing a spangly outfit. And b: Not of use."

"Steve," Bruce called to the Captain, his soft brown gaze focused on the other man. Rogers focused his blue gaze on the doctor, surprised to find the man still had his arm wrapped comfortably around the form of Ana, who was watching the Soldier with slight worry in her eyes. Even she knew something was quite wrong with the story SHIELD had given them.

"Tell me none of this smells fishy to you?" Bruce continued, his arm tightening around the woman by his side, his protectiveness clear. He felt something wasn't quite right about what was going on with SHIELD's motives. He didn't like the fact that they had been dragged into the middle of it all with no prior knowledge.

The doubt could be seen in Rogers eyes and a muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked away. "Just find the cube," was all he said before he turned and left the lab.


	17. The  Anger Began

_Matchsticks and poison,_

_That's what I add to the fire_

**Time Bomb** – Pink

-o-

Chapter 17: The Anger Began

The anger began in a way no one expected.

How in the hell in a period of twelve hours had everything gone to hell, Ana had no clue.

All she knew was that there was a group of people arguing amongst themselves within the space of the lab and none of them looked keen to shut the hell up.

It started the moment Nick Fury had entered the lab after finally detecting the Tony's decryption program. It had taken him ten days but he finally caught it after the very last files had been accessed. He still hadn't found any sign of Jenn having hacked into their system. Some intelligence agency...

-o-

"What are you doing Mr. Stark?" Fury asked the moment he walked through the door, his black trench coat flowing behind him like some imitation cape.

Tony was sitting on Bruce’s desk, skimming through the last of the files he hacked into and he glanced at the director of SHIELD. "Uh... Kinda been wondering the same thing about you."

Bruce was standing behind Tony with his hands clasped over one another, his glasses in one of them. He had been watching the monitor over Tony's shoulder throughout the whole thing, surprised that there had been so much that SHIELD had been hiding. Ana was sitting on his stool beside him, her boot hooked around the back of his leg while her hand massaged his lower back, trying to ease the tension there.

The moment Jenn had made some adjustments to the model Tony and Bruce had been creating to locate the cube, it seemed that was all it took before it was actively scanning for the Tesseract. Again, Tony voiced his approval of Jenn's skills and now really wanted to hire her on full time. Ana had simply laughed.

She had been enjoying the time she had been spending with them, watching them as they worked. She didn't have anything to add to their work, but she had worked with her aunt with the enhancements to their model. While she did that, she had listened in on the conversation between them regarding Bruce's other self and Tony's advice to just let go and embrace that side of him. Ana had the feeling he was saying it to her as well. They both had to embrace that part of themselves. So far, Bruce and Ana were making good steps to figuring out how. At least with each other around.

Tony was a good sounding board.

It had been a great night and then it went downhill. There was nothing to be smiling about with Fury standing there and glaring at them all. Fury focused his glare at Tony, the one dark eye looking menacing. "You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are," said Banner as he reached out to point to the monitor at a station across the way. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"And you'll get your cube back. No muss, no fuss," said Tony, staring at the touch screen monitor in front of him. "What is Phase 2?"

At that moment, Steve Rogers had walked into the lab and slammed a particularly large barreled gun on the desk of Tony's station. "Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons." He glanced at Tony, the frown still evident on his face. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me." He turned his blue gaze to Fury then and pointed at the gun. "I found this in a crushed metal crate in one of the cargo bays. Seems I wasn't the only one trying to see what was going on here."

Ana bit down hard on her lip, a choking sound emerging from her throat, as she glanced at Bruce and he at her. A deep blush was on his face, but he was trying his best not to laugh with her despite the seriousness of the situation. Of all the crates in that cargo bay...

Tony had heard the noise and glanced behind him to look at the couple. He saw the deep blushes on their faces and it didn't take long to put two and two together. He didn't laugh but the shit eating grin was on his face again. None of the other men had noticed the looks of amusement on the three friends' faces.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we-"

Tony caught that, his smile fading, and clicked on a file before swiveling the monitor around. "I'm sorry Nick. What were you lying?" On the screen was an animated diagram of a missile head powered by the cube. It looked nuclear in nature.

"I was wrong director," said Rogers, the look on his face that of deep disappointment at the sight of the plans. "The world hasn't changed a bit." It was then that Agent Romanoff and Thor had entered the lab, both looking particularly harried about something.

Bruce had been listening intently as soon as he caught sight of the plans for the missile head. His tension was beginning to rise despite the comforting gesture of Ana's hand rubbing his lower back. He caught sight of Romanoff and his brown eyes flashed dangerously. "You knew about this?"

Romanoff didn't answer the question; her gaze was cool and calculated as she glanced at Bruce. "You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?"

Bruce moved away from Ana's touch as he walked around the desk. The blue glowing orb of Loki's scepter catching Ana's eye as Bruce stopped directly in front of it. She started feeling ill at ease the moment Bruce's cold, humorless laugh erupted from his mouth. "I was in Kolkata. I was pretty well removed."

How could she not have realized this before? Was it because there were more people in the room?

Romanoff seemed to have the same idea that Ana was just beginning to register because she turned to face him, the look on her face was neutral but the slight fear could be seen in her eyes. "Loki is manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce asked in turn, his form becoming more tense by the moment.

"You didn't come because I bat my eyelashes at you," said Romanoff, her hand hovering close to her weapon at her side.

"And I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy," he said, moving over to the monitor and swiveling it around to face the group, pointing his glasses at the image of the missile head. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," said Fury, pointing a hand toward the tall and so far quiet form of Thor.

The god looked faintly surprised as he glanced at Fury and pointed to himself, as if trying to understand. "Me?"

Fury turned around to look at Thor before he focused his gaze on the group. "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet that had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we _not_ alone but we are hopelessly- hilariously- outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," said Thor, shocked that anyone would think otherwise of himself or any Asgardian.

Fury turned back to Thor, his single dark eye blazing. "But you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat." He turned his attention back to the others. "Our world is filling up with people who can't be matched. They can't be controlled-"

"And that is what drives you crazy, is it not?" said Ana, having heard enough bullshit spout from Fury. She had had to deal with his constant questioning, his frustration with not getting the answers he sought from her. He couldn't control her like he could his agents. Unlike Bruce, whose past was well known, she was an unknown variable. She got up from the stool and walked around the desk to stand beside Bruce, a brief flash of yellow could be seen in her eyes. "You come across something you don't know anything about and immediately perceive it as a threat. Unless, of course, you have a use for it."

Fury turned his gaze on her and frowned deeply. "Don't get me started on you." He pointed at her, the movement almost threatening. "You show up here, a complete unknown, a threat to this entire ship-"

"I didn't _show up_ here, you _kidnapped_ me," snapped Ana, the red veins of her neck were pulsing at a quickened rate. "I was only protecting my mother and those people from that bastard. _You_ took me without my consent and started asking questions that were none of your business to ask in the first place!"

"You are a threat to national security. We can't find anything about you in any records on any database on the planet." He took a step toward Ana, not noticing the frown on Bruce's face. "The only thing we know for sure is that you are not fully human." He caught the look of slight surprise in her eyes and a smirk touched his lips. "Oh, that DNA sample you gave was very telling. Your genetic code has some human DNA but it's merged with something else entirely. Exactly what, we don't know. There is no record of anything like you. Those red veins in your neck tell a story. That creature you mutate into tells a hell of a lot more. Tell me, are your people after the cube as well? Is that why you fought with Loki?"

Bruce's firm hand had gripped hers and it was the only thing that kept her from physically attacking the director. Her tone had taken on a husky growl and the red veins in her neck were slowly growing down toward her chest. She sounded nothing like the Ana that Bruce and Tony had come to know. This one was cold and cruel. An echo of who she had been in the past.

"You know nothing of me. That is what gets you most. You know nothing. You have no power over me unless _I_ allow it. Your pathetic attempts to rile me up with these false accusations will win you _nothing_." Ana laughed, the sound as cold as Bruce's had been. "You do _so_ well with knowledge and power, Mr. Fury. With all of the information at your hands, how did you not see the Tesseract for what it truly was? Surely, you must have realized it was a beacon to every power hungry being out there in the universe to come find you."

Thor, who had been watching Ana closely at the mention of her otherworldly nature, nearly blanched at those words. She had mentioned such a thing before on the very first day she had arrived here, when she spoke of the Chitauri and their craving for limitless power to survive. She spoke of the cube just now in a way that no human from Earth could understand. What realm could she be from? He had never seen anything like her to his knowledge. Then again, she said she had no prior knowledge of how she knew these things either.

Even now, he could see the confusion on her face after she had finished speaking, looking as if she had no idea what it was she had just said. Still, no matter her strangeness, he had to agree with the words of this apparently fellow otherworldly being. "The Red Lady is right," he said, seeing the others now focusing their attention to him. He looked at all of them before his gaze settled on Fury. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it _and_ his allies. It's a signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" asked Rogers, the confusion and anger at those words quite clear.

"You forced our hand," said Fury, turning to look at Thor. "We had to come up with some-"

"Nuclear deterrent," interrupted Tony, walking around to get a better vantage point of everyone in the room. "That calms everything right down."

"Excuse me," said Fury, turning his single gaze to Tony. "Mr. Stark, need I remind you how you made your fortune?"

From there, the disagreements began and then they began to escalate. Ana twitched, her sense of being threatened escalating with each passing moment. She stepped closer to Bruce, her hold tightening on his hand as she glanced back at the scepter, the glowing blue orb looked brighter.

"You speak of control yet you cause chaos," Thor's booming voice cutting through the noise.

"That's his MO isn't it?" said Bruce, his grip on Ana's hand tightening as he felt her tension rise. The Other Guy wasn't liking it. "I mean... What are we? A team?" He shook his head quickly as he pulled Ana closer beside him, looking as if he were trying to shield her from everyone else in the room. "No, no, no, no... We're a chemical mixture that causes chaos... We're a time bomb."

Fury had, by this time, finally noticed how close Ana and Bruce were and how tense they were both looking at the moment. For the first time, he felt a sliver of fear in him at the thought of these two being so tense in such a close quarter. "You two need to step away from each other. _Now_."

"Oh c'mon," said Tony, reaching out to slap a hand on Roger's shoulder. He knew from experience that those two were perfectly fine as long as they were close with one another. "Why shouldn't they let off a little steam?"

Rogers frowned at Tony and roughly pushed the hand off of his shoulder. "You know damn well why. Back off!"

This, again, prompted another argument. This time between the Iron Man and Captain America. Loki's scepter was glowing brightly by this time.

"Yeah," said Bruce as he looked down at Ana, the only person in the room he felt bore a true understanding with him. "This is a team..."

Ana smirked at this but said nothing in reply, she simply intertwined their fingers so their clasped hands were more secure. He squeezed it tightly when Fury's voice cut in, grating on both of their nerves. "Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Dr. Banner and Ms. Brandt to their-"

"Where?" cut in Banner as he gestured out to the corridor, moving slightly in front of Ana. "To our rooms or my cell? Because you rented that space out already."

Fury turned to face Bruce, holding out his hands in a calming gesture. "The cell was just-"

"In case you needed to kill me but you can't," said Bruce, his form now twitching despite Ana's reassuring squeeze from their joined hands. "I know. I tried!"

"Bruce," said Ana, reaching out her free hand to rub it up and down against his arm. He relaxed slightly beneath her touch. "You don't have to tell them. It's not their place to know..."

"Ana, it's fine." Bruce was so glad that, despite the complete shit this journey had been so far, two bright spots had emerged from it all. "They need to know." He glanced down at her and kept the firm grip on her hand before he turned his gaze back to the others. "I got low. I didn't see an end. So... I put a bullet in my mouth and the Other Guy spit it out." He swallowed, the tightness growing in his throat at the memory of it bringing emotions he longed to forget. The helplessness, the torment...

"So, I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good." His frown returned as he looked at Fury and Agent Romanoff. "Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." He focused his brown gaze on Romanoff then. "You wanna know my secret Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

"Mind blowing sex," Tony's nonchalant voice cut in at that moment, sounding as if he were stating an obvious fact. The silence that fell was thick enough to hear a mouse fart. All eyes turned to him and he looked at everyone in mock surprise. "What? You have Ms. Brandt to thank for keeping Dr. Banner so mellow with all that's been going on. Before they met, who knew how either of them kept calm." He shrugged. "I've asked but they still haven't told me. I'm thinking it's a huge bag of weed for sure..."

Romanoff was sporting a faint blush as she looked at the couple, her gaze was that of one seeing something for the first time and it was right under their nose. Now that she thought back on it, it did make a lot of sense. "You mean... You two-"

At that moment the computer that had been running the scan for the Tesseract let loose a loud chirping beep that saved the couple from having to respond to such a thing. Both were thinking of killing Tony after all of this was finished.

"Sorry kids, that's classified," said Bruce as he walked toward the computer to see where the cube was, pulling Ana close behind him. He wasn't going to let her go at this point. Things were just too tense right now.

The computer continued to beep as he moved behind the monitor to look at the results. Ana stayed closed beside him, frowning lightly when Agent Romanoff had followed behind them to see for herself. The redhead's gaze had met Ana's and she gave, for the first time since they had met, a reassuring and understanding smile.

Ana was protective.

Natasha Romanoff knew all too well how Ana felt now that she understood and saw how they were with each other.

Bruce had pulled off his glasses then as he saw the results of the cube's location. "Oh my god..." Bruce looked up at the others, about to open his mouth to call on them. The cube had been found.

It was in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Right where the Stark Tower was located.

However, nothing could be said or heard because a sudden explosion had erupted from the vents in the metal floor beneath them just then. It threw everyone aside from the force and, unfortunately, tossed Bruce, Ana and Romanoff out through the glass window behind them to the lower level, a hail of glass and broken pipes falling down after them.


	18. The Anger Was Burning

_It's not a science now_

_It's just a way it goes_

_I feel it banging_

_Got me by vibrating_

_You got me and I'm falling_

_So don't let me go_

_No one can save me_

_No drug can fix me_

_It hit me now_

_I feel like I'm going to explode_

**Explode** – Cover Drive

-o-

Chapter 18: The Anger Was Burning

The anger was burning through him and the pain from the fall had jarred his very bones.

His heart was beating much too fast. He struggled to open his eyes, the ringing in his ears from the explosion blocking out all other sound. The one thought that struck him was like a broken record, repeating itself over and over, as he searched the immediate area around him.

_Is Ana all right?_

He had lost his hold on her after they had been blown through the window. He didn't want to lose hold of her. She had been his one balm throughout this entire ordeal. He needed her near. He could feel the anger was already beyond his control. If she was close, perhaps he might not lose himself completely...

His thought was caught off as he found her lying several feet from him, close to that of Agent Romanoff. While the agent had her left ankle simply caught under a large metal pipe from the falling debris, one had stabbed Ana right through her left shoulder. She was bleeding heavily and she wasn't moving. Ice cold fear stabbed through the very heart of him.

_No... No, no, no... Not again. Not her._

"A... na?" he said in effort, the pain ripping through his body at that point was a telltale sign. He tried to fight it off. If he could hear her voice, know she was all right... He had just found her, he couldn't lose her now. He tried again, his voice much stronger. "Ana!"

There was no response from her.

His heart gave a painful thump as the fear turned to heart wrenching pain and then the anger began to rise at an alarming rate. The Other Guy was emerging.

_Mine,_ came the thought from the depths of his mind. A thought filled with anger and vengeance. _Mine..._ _My fiery one... Hurt... Failed..._

The thought was cut off as a voice he really didn't want to hear at the moment spoke into her headset.

"We're OK," said Romanoff as she replied to whatever voice had spoken to her just then. She took in a heavy breath as she looked at Bruce and her face paled at the sight of his body arching and shaking in pain. "We're OK, right?"

The doctor didn't respond to her. He didn't want to hear from her, he wanted to hear Ana. He needed to hear _her_.

"Doctor?" Romanoff tried to remove her ankle from under the metal pipe but had no luck. She looked back at Bruce and tried again. "Bruce?"

He didn't answer her. He was focused on Ana's still form, his body arching painfully as a green tint began to show itself around the base of his neck.

"You gotta fight it," she said, slamming her gloved fist against the metal grill beneath her to get his attention. "This is just what Loki wants." She could finally see that Bruce's gaze was focused on one particular point and she looked behind her, finally catching sight of Ana, who was lying terribly still at her feet. The fear struck her as she understood the sudden anger Bruce was going through. The sight of the metal pipe that had stabbed Ana, the sight of the heavy flowing blood... It didn't look good.

Still, Romanoff could see the gentle rise and fall of Ana's chest and the red veins were pulsing all over every visible surface of her body. They were concentrating on that point in her shoulder. A faint red glow could be seen from where the wound was. That had to mean something. She wasn't fully human. Perhaps she could heal herself?

"Bruce, Ana is going to be OK. Look at her. She's breathing. She's alive. She'll be all right and you'll be fine. Listen to me-"

"Are you hurt?" A voice called from somewhere beyond their position and Romanoff cursed as she looked up to see a couple of mechanics that worked in the area making their way toward them. She waved at them frantically to get the hell out. After they caught sight of the arching back and painful groans of Dr. Bruce Banner, they didn't need telling twice and ran off the way they had come.

Romanoff focused her attention back on the doctor. "We're going to be OK, all right? I swear on my life that I will get you both out of this. You and Ana will walk away and never-"

"Your life?!" Bruce screamed at her as he finally turned his attention to her. His face was contorted in pain and tinted in patches of deep green. He was tired of hearing her. He didn't want her voice, he wanted Ana's.

_Mine!_

He let out a breath in pain as his body gave a painful twist, spittle flying from his mouth as he tried, and failed, to contain the change. He threw himself upright as the pain tore through his upper back. His fingers curled as a grunt emerged from him, his breathing much too fast and heavy. The green patches were spreading throughout every visible surface of skin. His body began to fill out, thickening with corded muscle as his shirt began to tear from the sudden mass. It was too late...

-o-

The anger was burning her, the heat that pulsed from the base of her neck was not one of pleasure but one of extreme pain.

_No, no... Don't fully change. Not here._

She couldn't control herself once the demon had fully unleashed. She tried to move but cried out, a sharp twisting pain making itself known in her left shoulder. She opened her eyes and found herself lying flat on her back, staring at the upper level that she had just fallen from. There were still a few flames dancing about from the explosion that had rocked through their sector.

She groaned as she looked at her shoulder and felt nauseous at the sight of a piece of metal pipe protruding from it. The blood was flowing freely but already she could see the red veins growing around the intruding object. Every few moments, a painful twinge was felt and the pipe would slowly be pushed out. She was healing already but it would not stop the change. Her heart was pounding much too fast and the anger was beyond any calming effects.

_Where's Bruce?_

The thought emerged from the depths of her mind, realizing that she was not holding onto him anymore. They must have let go from the fall. No, no, no... She needed him close. She wouldn't change if he was close. She looked around and her brown gaze caught sight of Agent Romanoff a couple of feet from her, her left ankle caught under a heavy pipe. The moment Romanoff's eyes met with Ana's, the relief could plainly be seen.

She was pale as she focused her attention on Ana but the hope could be seen in those green orbs. "Oh thank god, you're awake. Ana, I know you're hurt but you have to talk to Bruce. Let him know you're all right. He's losing it."

Ana looked to where Romanoff indicated and found the arching, grunting form of Bruce starting through his change. The Other Guy was making an appearance. Ana knew there was no way of stopping the change now that it had gone this far. At the sight of him, her demon had let loose a painful twinge at the base of her neck and she winced. It was too late. Her demon had caught sight of her mate and she was not going to lose him.

The sound of scurrying could be heard, followed by a thump, and the painful growls that belonged to Bruce sounded further away. He had moved himself away in a last-ditch effort to keep from harming Romanoff, falling off the metal landing to the cement floor below.

A pained gasp escaped her lips as her back arched, the red veins now pulsating beneath her skin and flowing at a quickened rate. She cried out in pain as the red veins finally reached the very ends of her fingers and toes, the sickening sound of popping bones and stretching muscle adding to the chaos. Her fingers were already growing longer, the skin hardening as the flesh took on a red hue. It was too late. The full change was happening. Oh god, she hoped she wouldn't kill anyone...

_Please, don't kill anyone..._

"Bruce?" The breathless voice of Romanoff caught her attention and Ana looked at the agent before she followed Romanoff's gaze to that of Bruce. He was looking at the agent, his green eyes showing one last vestige of the good doctor before it completely faded and a roar emerged from his large torso. His back broadened, muscles bulged, and bones cracked. His shirt was torn to pieces, as were the loafers he favored to wear and the bottom of his pant legs. He stumbled to his bare feet and slammed against a large water heater, bending it in.

The Other Guy had finally emerged.

Thinking quickly, Ana reached out a clawed hand to the heavy pipe that trapped the agent. She lifted it, her red veined arm growing longer and leaner with each painful moment. Romanoff looked back at her and the slight fear could be seen in her eyes. Ana's brown eyes were nothing more than glowing, yellow orbs.

"Run," said Ana, throwing the pipe aside before she stumbled to her feet. "Get out of here before he sees you and before I fully-" Her breath caught in her throat as another series of sickening pops emerged from her back. She had grown taller and much lither.

"I can't leave you here-"

"He won't hurt me," said Ana, trying desperately to hold onto the last of her sanity. "But he _will_ hurt you. I'll try to keep him down here... I can't promise anything once I've changed."

The deep roar that vibrated against the walls that surrounded them was incentive enough. Ana quickly hauled Romanoff to her feet and pushed her away. "Get _out!_ "

She turned away from the agent, not looking back to see if the other woman had heeded her warning and jumped down to the cement floor. She winced at the feel of the metal pipe still stuck in her left shoulder but twitched once at the sight of the large, hulking, green frame ahead of her.

With one last prayer to the heavens above, she finally let go and unleashed a hellish, banshee-like scream. The pulsing veins continued shape and change her body, making it taller and lither with every sickening pop and crunch that emanated. Her own clothes didn't tear but telltale signs of burns began to appear, each spot revealing a glowing red, pulsing vein beneath her skin. Her boots tore at the seams as her feet began to grow, the heels of them arching so that she stood on the balls of her feet, her toes becoming more claw-like as the skin there darkened to a red tone to about her ankles. The veins pulsed with each passing moment as she twitched and arched her back, the pronounced canines of her teeth revealing as she snarled.

With one final painful pop from her back, she straightened to her full height of seven feet. Where the mutated creature from before had looked remotely human, this time around the only hint she bore of being human were her facial features. Her clawed hands and feet were darkened with red tones, looking as if she had dipped them in blood. Every visible part of her limbs were pulsating with red veins and they all led to a focused point of a glowing, red patch that burned at the base of her neck.

The Hulk had turned at the sound of her scream and, at the sight of her, recognition shown on his face. He turned around and took a few steps toward her, each step shaking the ground beneath them. Though she was tall, he was still much taller. A deep rumble could be heard in his torso as he stopped before her and reached out a large green hand to touch her face. She purred in response but winced when his hand had nudged the pipe in her shoulder.

The Hulk frowned at that, not liking the sound of pain that had stopped the purring he loved so much. He looked to where his hand had touched the pipe and the growl emerged at the sight of it. Without warning, he took it in hand and ripped it out of her before tossing the offending object aside. She snarled in pain, the eruption of blood a terrible sight but it quickly stopped, the red veins growing over the wound and the skin healing over.

After a moment, her relief could be seen and the purring began anew as she reached out a hand to his face. She gently ran a claw against his cheek, not breaking the green skin, before she leaned up to bump her forehead against his chin. Her purring had deepened.

A chuckle could be heard in the mix of the deep rumbles of pleasure he gave and one word came through, one word that said everything in that deep, monstrous voice of his. "Mine..."

She continued to purr and rubbed her forehead against his chin and along his jawline, pressing her chest against his. He enjoyed the feel of her and reached out a large hand to grasp her lean hip, drawing her forcefully against him. "Mine..."

She didn't speak. She simply crooned to him, her husky voice showing her pleasure at finally, _finally_ , meeting her mate...

The sound of tripping steps on a metal grill cut through the peaceful moment and the Hulk's deep growl emerged from him as he looked over his fiery one's shoulder. There, across the way, was Agent Romanoff.

-o-

Natasha Romanoff had not heeded Ana's warning and had watched in utter disgust and fascination at the sight of Ana changing into a creature that was even more mutated than it had been before. The scream that emerged from her was loud, painful and terrifying. Once her change was complete, the two raging beasts met one another for the first time. The surprise for the agent was that instead of anger, they had acted like their quiet counterparts, completely enthralled with one another. It was as if they instinctively knew who they were and the affection that had been there before was present between them now.

Ana had not been lying.

The Hulk would not hurt her. He was caring in his touch, if a little rough, but Romanoff could see it on his face. This one was special to him. The sight of them being so affectionate with one another gave her hope that Ana, the creature that was Ana, would keep him occupied. If she could do that, then perhaps they would both calm down enough to revert to their human selves...

At the sight of the Hulk grabbing the creature that was Ana by the hip and bringing her closer, his clear word of "Mine" was incentive enough for Natasha to get the hell out of there before saw something she really didn't want to see. She turned away from them and made her way to the metal stairwell that led to the higher level of the ship. She tried to be careful on her way but her bruised ankle had been hurt much more than she realized.

She winced at the feel of the ankle the moment she stepped on it and fell slightly when it didn't support her weight. The stumble had caused a sound that she really didn't want to hear, a deep growl of anger. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Hulk thrusting the red female behind him in a protective move as his growl grew deeper the moment their eyes met.

_Oh shit,_ was Natasha's last thought before she heard the deep roar and the thundering footsteps of the Hulk coming after her.

 


	19. Running for Your Life

_Anger_

_In my body_

_In my veins_

_Shooting through my blood with terrible pain_

_I feel a need to destroy_

_To tear apart_

_I want to hurt you_

_But I don't know how_

_The body shakes_

_The muscles tense_

_If you know what's good for you_

_Then you'll leave now..._

**Anger** \- Assemblage 23

-o-

Chapter 19: Running for Your Life

Running for your life was nothing new.

Being chased by a much larger green being that wished to pummel the shit out of you was an entirely different scenario in running for said life.

Even with a bum ankle, Natasha Romanoff was quick on her feet. She skipped up the metal steps and leapt toward the higher railing just as the Hulk had smashed a giant green fist in an attempt to get her, completely obliterating the stairwell in the process.

She flipped herself over the railing and onto the landing, catching sight of the Hulk taking a few steps back, following her with his rage filled, green gaze. She didn't wait to see what he would do. She quickly moved away from the railing and slid over a large, gray pipe behind her toward another grilled platform. She landed on all fours, the shuddering of the metal grill catching the Hulk's attention. He moved quickly in an attempt to grab her but all he grabbed was the grill as she leapt once again out of his grasp.

A roar of frustration filled the area as the Hulk threw the grill toward the retreating frame of Natasha, who barely missed being hit. She slid down through an opening in the platform to the cement floor below and crawled under a large pipe, escaping for the moment.

The roars continued behind her as she wound her way over, under and between various sizes of pipes, trying to lose the Hulk. When the sound had faded, she slowed down to a limping walk as she drew her gun. She swallowed, her panting breath sounding a little too loud for her ears as she looked behind and all around her. She didn't just have the Hulk to worry about. That creature, Ana's other self, was running around loose as well. Who knew what damage she could do if she caught sight of Natasha...

She continued on her way, looking around every corner as she slowly moved. A thumping footstep, followed by a shadow passing, made her breath catch in her throat. She moved away, her gun aimed and ready, though she knew it would do little against the monster. She turned around and walked toward a more open area that looked promising in an exit...

Her heart leapt into her throat as the Hulk emerged from the shadows before her, roaring in his rage. Acting quickly, she took aim and fired at one of the pipes above the Hulk. A hiss of high pressured steam emerged and struck the Hulk right in his face. He howled in pain as the steam blinded him, standing to his full height in surprise and headbutting the pipe, causing more steam to flow out. His roar was deafening.

Natasha didn't hesitate and was about to turn to make a run for it when something extremely hot wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the ground with ease. Her scream of surprise was not heard over the roars of the Hulk. She glanced behind her and caught sight of the raging face of the female demon. Oh god, she was in trouble...

The demon didn't look at her as she suddenly took off running toward a brightly lit platform that led down a corridor of glass walls, carrying the agent with little effort at her side. The sound of thundering footsteps behind them, and the angered roars of the Hulk, made the demon run even faster, her clawed feet digging into the metal grilled platform beneath her to gain momentum with her long limbs.

_Is she... helping me?_ Natasha thought only for the thought to be replaced with one of panic as a sudden explosion erupted from the demon's feet, an expanding pocket of flame that thrust the both of them at an alarming pace ahead of the Hulk. The sound of destruction behind them, followed by the roars of frustration, was a clear indication that the demon was much quicker on her feet than her mate.

With that burst of speed, they emerged into a larger room and Natasha found herself thrown unceremoniously to the cement floor. She winced at the pain and glanced up just in time to see the demon turning on her clawed feet to face her charging mate, her red clawed hands bared as she snarled in defiance, her glowing yellow eyes filled with anger. The demon was defending her against the Hulk... but she thought...

The Hulk had emerged from the destroyed corridor at that moment, the sparks flying from smashed electrical work as he suddenly stopped in front of the demon. He flexed his muscles and let loose a terrifying roar, an impressive display that should have made any female submissive. Except that the demon roared her own defiance and bared her red claws against her mate, the pulsing red veins now glowing with suppressed heat. She snarled at him and stood protectively in front of Natasha.

The Hulk's growl could be heard as his green gaze glanced between that of the redhead and of the female he cared for. He rumbled deep in his torso as he tried to take a step around the demon toward the agent, only for the creature to step in his path to snap and snarl, taking a swipe at him. He stopped in his steps as he dodged the swipe and the frustration could clearly be seen on his face.

A moment passed before the Hulk finally relented and took a step back. He looked like a child that had just been told he couldn't have a particular toy. The female had relaxed though, apparently pleased with the action he had taken, and started to purr to him as she lowered her claws. The sound immediately caught his attention and he responded in kind, completely ignoring the agent as he took a step toward his female. Apparently, he loved the sound of her purring.

Natasha was still stunned that the demon had come to her defense and was moving away from them in the hopes that they would continue to ignore her. The Hulk was reaching out a large green hand and gently running his fingers down the dark curls of his female's hair when suddenly she was gone. A blur of something had come out of nowhere and took the demon with it.

They had crashed through the wall across from Natasha, a wall that separated one of the hangers from the cargo area they had been running through. The Hulk was staring at the space in front of him in surprise before his deep growl emerged as the anger began to rise. He looked at the hole in the wall and heard his female roaring her displeasure in the space beyond. He roared in response and ran toward the sound, his large frame making an even bigger hole.

Natasha let out a breath as she stared at the large hole and thanked her lucky stars she had survived...

-o-

Thor was thinking he had made a mistake the moment he had come to Natasha's rescue.

He had only seen two large creatures squaring off against each other and Natasha on the floor behind the female, looking hurt. He hadn't thought of the consequences as he rushed to her aid and tackled the female demon, taking her with him as they crashed through the nearby metal wall and into the hanger beyond.

He rolled across the cement floor, hearing the thumping form of the female demon rolling with him. He came to a stop and tossed his golden hair from his eyes as he slowly got up, looking up just in time to see the female monster snarling at him as she quickly got to her feet. Her glowing yellow eyes were a telltale sign of the anger pulsing within her as she flexed her clawed hands and let loose a terrifying roar, her displeasure clear. The answering roar of the green hulking male from beyond the destroyed wall was even more terrifying.

The mechanics and engineers that had been working on the jets housed in this bay stumbled back in surprise at the sight of the creature. Her roar had petrified them to the spot and the answering roar of the Hulk made the fear very real and they ran for their lives. The entire situation was brought to a catastrophe as the female roared again at the god of thunder, the sudden explosion of a nearby jet setting off the fire extinguishing system in the hanger. A hail of water fell from the pipes above and drenched them within moments, the water hissing off in steam the moment it touched the female's red veined skin.

Now Thor knew exactly what this creature was, her true form revealing characteristics not seen for many a generation. Or at least the part of her that was not human. The race had been thought to be extinct, a casualty of a strange war fought countless centuries before. They were the descendants of a single Olympian, a close ally of the Asgardians, who had been cast aside by her very own people when the power she held over others' madness, rage, and fury proved too much. She had disappeared into an unknown realm of an unknown race of feral people and it wasn't until much later that her descendants had proved to inherit her ability of provoking rage along with the abilities of their respective realm. Rage and fury so easily brought forth combined with an affinity to control the very destructive, explosive power of fire was the result of this union from ages past. They're unique talent of merging themselves together to form a more powerful entity was a calling that had brought about their end from some unknown enemy who sought their power. They had simply disappeared from the face of the other realms only to be remembered in old stories. Thor had grown up listening to them.

They had been known as Lyttans, descendants of the Olympian Lytta, the goddess of mad rage and frenzy to those who remembered the Greek gods on Earth. They were peaceful until provoked. They had been thought to have been lost.

Apparently, one had survived long enough to make it to Earth and merge with a human. No wonder Ana knew of the Tesseract, it had been ingrained in that alien part of her to remember. How she knew of the Chitauri might answer how the raging race of feral people had disappeared. How in all of Valhalla had this happened?

"Peace now Lyttan," said Thor, raising his hands in a show of calm as he stared into the raging yellow orbs. "I meant you no harm."

The name sparked something in the female: Recognition. Thor thought there might be a chance of settling this peacefully. At least until the Hulk had come crashing through the wall and reached the female, pulling her behind him in a protective gesture as he roared at the god.

_Oh, for the love of Midgard,_ Thor thought as he caught the very familiar sight of the two raging monsters drawing close to one another. _They're mated._ Of all the people in all the realms of the universe, what were the chances of two beings such as this meeting in this lifetime?

Now he knew he had made a mistake in tackling the female. Her male was much larger than her. He was looking her over, checking her for damage, before he turned his raging green gaze toward the god of thunder. Thor had lain a hand on his female and he was looking quite keen in making him pay for doing such a thing.

The Hulk took a few lumbering steps toward Thor as he roared in his anger, clenching his large fists as he circled the god. Thor cast a glance toward the female, hoping that she might stop him, but the demon was watching with a feral smile on her lips. Apparently, she really wanted her mate to throttle this Asgardian. Well, no support there.

The Hulk threw a heavy punch at the god, who dodged it with ease. The green monster then swung around, throwing back the punch, only for Thor to dodge it again and throw a punch of his own, which landed and tossed the Hulk back a step. He was thrown from the punch, caught by surprise that such a little male could have such strength in him. He swung another heavy fist around, only for Thor to dodge it again. His rage was building as he roared his displeasure only to find that his female had jumped into the fray, not pleased at seeing her mate getting hurt.

Thor was caught off guard as he dodged the female's red claws and caught her other clawed hand by the wrist, preventing those dangerous claws from touching his skin. He had seen what they had done to his brother's hand, it had taken five days to heal. Much too long for a simple flesh wound for an Asgardian. He held off the female, surprised by her strength despite her lithe, long limbs and focused on the yellow orbs. "We are not your enemy, Lyttan. Remember who you are. Remember your true enemy! The Chitauri!"

He could see the that he had sparked something in her as recognition flickered across her face. Unfortunately, that was when the Hulk had landed a heavy fist against Thor's face, the force of it throwing the Asgardian back through pile of plastic and metal crates. He rolled to a stop to the next part of the hanger and slowly got up to his knees. Something warm was flowing from his nose and he reached up to rub it away in surprise. He pulled his fingers away, the sight of his own blood pricking a part of him as the Hulk's roar echoed through the hanger.

He smirked as he held out his hand, calling his hammer, Mjolnir, to him. It took moment, but a distinct humming sound could be heard as it drew closer. He waited, calling his hammer with a force that pulled from the very heart of him. He could hear distinct heavy footsteps drawing closer followed by a higher pitched roar...

Just as the hammer crashed its way through heavy crates and into his hand, a tall form had emerged in the midst of wrecked crates and around the nearby parked jet, rushing too quickly for him to see. The moment the tall, lithe form had turned its back to him in a manner that meant defense, too late he realized he had made another mistake. He had swung his hammer in hopes of catching the Hulk. Instead, the female had arrived and it had connected with her back, sending her flying forward in a howl of pain just in time for the Hulk to turn the corner of the jet and catch her.

They were both thrown back by the force and into the jet. The frame bent under the Hulk's large green form and the limp form of the female in his arms was a telling sight. He struggled to remove himself from the jet's bent tail end, his green eyes focused on his female as he gently ran a large finger along her jaw line. Her glowing yellow orbs were unfocused as a soft cry of pain escaped her lips.

Rage built up as the Hulk set his female gently down upon the floor, cradling her head in such a tender way. Once she was safe on the ground, he turned his attention to Thor and his growl of rage was heard. His muscles tensed as he took the wing of the jet in his large green hands and tore it off. Without hesitation, he aimed and threw the broken wing straight at the Asgardian...

 


	20. Dodging Was a Way

_Today I heard my favorite song on the radio_

_I closed my eyes and saw our first 'hello'_

_And then I saw the time we fell in love_

_In each other’s arms_

_I open up my eyes and you were gone_

_Suddenly, I realized how I love you so_

_And how I can't survive without your love_

**Don't Say Goodbye** – Juris

-o-

Chapter 20: Dodging Was a Way

Dodging was a way of surviving life's constant attempts at throwing shit at you.

In this case, Thor had taken it in a literal sense and had dodged the oncoming projectile that the Hulk had made of a broken jet wing. It sailed over him, barely skimming his chest, before it took out the top of a nearby jeep and lodged into the wall behind it. No, dodging was a very good way of surviving. Not that the god blamed the large green male. If someone had hurt his Jane in such a way, he would have reacted in _exactly_ the same way. Thor had the guilt of feeling like the bad guy in this particular case. He had not meant to harm the Red Lady, as he had come to know the creature who was Ana.

No.

In fact, he now considered her an ally simply because she was the apparently last descendant of an Olympian who the Asgardians had considered a very powerful ally once upon a time. She was the _very_ last physical proof that the stories had been true. The fact that he might have seriously harmed her was not something that settled well with him. Still, he would not simply roll over and have himself pummeled just because of guilt. He was a warrior and would continue to be if it meant keeping the Hulk from destroying this floating ship.

Thor cocked his arm back and threw his hammer as a way of distraction. He knew the Hulk would have no way of picking up this weapon and it would give him an advantage. What he didn't count on was the Hulk dodging the hammer and roaring in his anger. He had thundered his way toward the god and reached out to throw a heavy punch, which Thor evaded with ease. He called his hammer back to him as he continued to dodge and block the powerful punches that the Hulk threw his way.

Thor noticed that the Hulk was keeping him away from his female, fighting him back from where she rested on the floor as she arched her back as if in pain. The red veins beneath her caramel skin was pulsing with glowing heat and her red clawed hands and feet were flexing as her long limbs stretched and snapped. She was _healing_. Thank Valhalla for that. Thor wouldn't live with himself if he had seriously harmed the Red Lady. It still didn't keep her mate from trying to avenge her.

Thor continued to dodge and evade the punches, throwing enough back in self-defense, before his hammer had come back to him. It flew into his hand and he dodged another punch the Hulk threw before he leapt onto the green being's back and wrapped his arms around the creature's neck. One hand held tightly onto the hammer while the other held a strong grip on the handle. Thanks to the magical properties of the hammer, the Hulk could not easily remove the god's hands from his chosen weapon.

The Hulk let out a roar in frustration as he tried to get the Asgardian off his back. He finally took a huge leap up toward the ceiling and broke through to the level above, slamming the god against the heavy beams, solid metal and concrete of the first level before slamming him against the beams and heavy piping of the level above it.

They fell down to the floor of the second level, a hail of steam, broken glass and metal falling around them. The god of thunder was feeling something he normally did not feel. Tired...

The Hulk was a creature of rage and fury, much like his female, and the fact that the one thing that made him calm had been harmed fed that fury. He would not rest until the little male that dared to harm his mate was feeling the same, if not more, pain that she had in that brief moment in time. It was made obvious the moment Thor caught his breath and the Hulk had taken him in a strong grip by his shoulder, a growl of anger clearly heard...

-o-

The moment her broken spine had snapped back into place, the feeling of healing heat resumed in her limbs. She let out a croon in relief before her acute hearing had picked up the silence around her. No... There was not supposed to be silence. Her mate... Where was her mate?

She focused her hearing and heard thumping from the floor above, followed by bellows of rage. Her mate... The relief flowed through her as she got unsteadily to her feet. He was all right; his roaring rage was a balm for her nerves. As long as he was all right, she had every reason to keep from unleashing hell. She had finally found him after so long, she didn't want to lose him now.

She heard the thumping from above her and she looked up toward the ceiling, catching sight of a large hole that only her mate's hulking frame could have made. A pulsing warmth of pleasure emerged from her heart and a soft thought, followed by a longing feeling, emerged from the depths of her mind.

_Bruce..._

Love filled her heart at the simple thought her human self had managed to break through. Her mate. His name was Bruce... Now she remembered. Her human, Ana, longed for the human part of her mate. She vaguely remembered having watched the humans on Earth long enough to know when they had fallen in lust and in _love_. Her human had fallen deeply in love with the human part of her mate. She could not have hoped for better. It was a clear sign that they belonged to one another. She only hoped that the human part of her mate felt the same.

She recalled a moment in time when she had searched so long in that darkness to find the one soul in which she could merge with successfully. She couldn't remember _why_ she had to, but she knew _had_ to in order to survive. The fact that she had found her _mate_ here of all places _._ It was clear that was why she survived as she had. Her mate was up there, and the love of her human was there within him. She had to protect him. There was no other reason for surviving at this moment. There was Mother and Aunt. Now there was _Mate_...

Her pack.

Her family.

She had found her reason for surviving. Her pack was almost complete. She would not lose her mate now...

With that thought in mind, she ran a few steps on her clawed feet, her long limbs giving her more than enough leverage to leap up through the hole above. She emerged just in time to see her mate fling the Asgardian against a wall, the who had called her by the long-forgotten name for her people. He had said he meant her no harm. She knew this one was a true Asgardian, unlike the one he called brother, and he was a man of his word. At least that was what she faintly recalled. The Asgardians had been an ally to her people long ago. If she remembered correctly... He seemed to remember her people, where she could not even remember herself. She needed this otherworldly being to remain intact. If only to help her remember.

She watched as her mate had slung aside a metal counter in his rage as he tried to get to the Asgardian. She cried out to him, her piercing high-pitched roars stopping him in his tracks. He turned toward her and the rage that had filled his face melted away at the sight of her. She quickly got to her feet and placed herself between him and the Asgardian. She crooned to him in a pleading tone and reached out a red claw to gently, very gently, run it along his jawline. She then started to purr and moved to bump her head up against his chin only for her purring to grow deeper.

Her mate...

_Bruce..._

Strong arms had wrapped around her lithe waist and she was pulled against his massive form as his rumbles of pleasure emerged. He rubbed his chin over her dark curls and he tightened his hold on her as a few words escaped his lips, words that filled the human part of her with longing and love.

"Mine... My... A... na..."

Her heart was filled such warmth as she nuzzled the crook of his neck and pressed her chest against his. Love. This had to be love... Be it her mate or her love. No matter which side of her claimed dominance, the two sides of her craved for all of him. The two sides of this male that held her fully...

There was blessed silence and peace...

Only for it to be broken by a hail of bullets that came from outside. They broke through the glass window and bounced off the Hulk's broad form. He lifted his head, a look of confusion touching him. The bullets were nothing more than a hindrance, a simple tickle off his green hide. He knew that it was something that meant harm though, just from memories of similar bullets assailing him from the past. He quickly pulled his female closer against him in protection against the hail as he looked over his shoulder. A jet was floating outside the windows in a hollow part of the _Helicarrier_ , raining down a series of bullets by way of distraction.

He turned around, thrusting his mate behind him, not noticing that the smaller male he had been attempting to pummel had run behind them to dodge the hail of gunfire. The Hulk held up a large hand as he held his mate back behind him, a roar of anger escaping him as focused on the jet. He measured the distance between the edge of the window to the jet that continued to fire. Without warning, he ran toward the ledge of the window and leapt, not hearing the screams of protest from his mate as she took a few shots from the hail of bullets. She wasn't protesting being at shot, she was screaming to her mate to not jump from the ship. Of course, when do males listen to their females...

He had sailed across the expanse of air and landed right on the nose of the jet. He slammed a fist into the nose of the jet and climbed across the glass dome, the squeal of flesh against glass cringing to the ears of any who heard it. He slid across the dome only to grab onto the metal behind it and proceeded to rip into the metal structure, pulling out vital parts.

As the jet lowered in the air, and then began to descend at an alarming rate, the female demon... Ana... let out a horrifying scream of fright that tore into the heart of Thor, who was nearby. She was on the very edge of the window, her red claws grasping the ledge as she watched the smoking jet descend down into the clouds in a hail of smoke.

Her mate continued to rip apart the machine, reaching out to grab the pilot who had tried to eject. He threw the pilot out into the air, a pointless gesture since the parachute had engaged. The jet continued its horrifying descent in smoke and fire before an explosion rocked the air. The distant roar of her mate could be heard and then...

Nothing.

There was nothing.

She searched frantically through the clouds below, searching in a failed attempt to catch sight of her mate. No, no, no...

_Bruce..._

Her heart thumped against her chest as anguish began to tighten around it in her chest. Her mate... her love... No, no, no... She had finally found him. He was supposed to be safe... She was supposed to keep him safe!

Her scream of rage filled the room as her red claws began to glow and the ledge began to melt beneath her touch.

Thor knew that all hell had been unleashed the moment the Hulk had disappeared from sight. There was no way of calming this female now. The red veins in her skin were glowing with burning heat and her rage could be felt from where he was crouched. He swallowed the moment those yellow orbs had turned his way and her screeching, banshee-like cries did little to ease the fear that touched him. This was a creature who could kill him.

Her yellow orbs hesitated at the sight of him but completely bypassed him as her rage filled within her. There was only one she could truly blame for the all of this...

That Frost Giant masquerading as an Asgardian... This was his fault... If there was anyone she could unleash hell upon, it would be him.

She growled his name, hatred and fury etched into every part of her. " _Lo... ki..._ "

Thor heard this, and panic set it as he swallowed the tightness in his throat.

_Oh brother, what have you done..._


	21. There Was No Stopping

_I will drown you in your legacy_

_I'll be the torch to burn it all_

_Right down into the ground..._

**Vengeance** – Trivium

-o-

Chapter 21: There Was No Stopping

There was no stopping her the moment she turned away from the window.

The demon ran off like a bat out of hell as she smashed her way through the door to the research lab they were in. She left a gaping hole, the edges burning red hot as drops of melted, glowing metal fell to the floor to harden. The sound of screeching metal could be heard down the corridor, followed by a series of screams of fright.

Thor, who had been dumbfounded by all that he had witnessed, quickly picked up his hammer from the floor and raced after the Red Lady. He had to stop her before she killed his brother. It wasn't hard to follow her, she left a trail of claw marks in the walls where her claws had melted through. Her clawed feet had also melted through the metal floor, leaving an easy trail to follow. Along the way, Thor could see various staff members of SHIELD were standing in shock at the sight of the creature that had passed them and left them unharmed. Many of them had not been aware of the just how terrible a beast Ana carried within her. The fact that she did not kill them meant she still had some semblance of her human morality.

That thought was quickly cut off when he passed the charred corpse of one of Loki's men in the next corridor. It was still smoking, and the scream of torture was frozen on the blackened face. Thor felt sick to his stomach...

He could hear her furious banshee-like cries and roars of rage further ahead of him with every running step he took. She was _fast,_ so it came as a surprise that when he rounded the corner of the corridor that led to where his brother's cell was located, he slammed right into her tall, lithe form. He had received a loud growl in response and she turned around to swipe at him with those deadly claws. He dodged it just in time and held out his hammer in defense, her claws sparking off the metal harmlessly.

She growled again but did not attack him once she saw his face. She turned away from him and ran down the hall to the open doorway of the room where the cell was. He followed after her, being careful to keep his distance, just as they ran through the doorway. The door to Loki's cell was sliding open just as Loki himself was making a move to walk out.

"No!" Thor cried out as he ran past the Red Lady, who had screeched in protest and reached out to grab him. Thor swung his hammer back, knocking her deadly claws aside with a jarring that she must have felt in her bones. He did not stop as he took a running leap to charge at his brother, only for him to go right through the Loki's form, the image wavering before completely fading. Thor crashed down to the floor of the cell and he got to his feet just in time to see the cell door close and lock behind him.

"Will you ever not fall for that trick?" The god of thunder rushed to the glass wall of the cell, finding his brother outside by the panel that controlled the cell from dropping. Thor slammed his hammer against the glass in an attempt to smash through but all it had done was create a spider web crack and shook the cell before dropping slightly, metal hooks that kept the cell secure unhooking a tad.

Loki walked casually toward the panel, a cold smile playing on his pale face. "The humans believe we are immortal. Shall we put that to the test?"

Thor felt the panic rise in him and he glanced at the Red Lady, who was still standing in the doorway. She had not moved into the room, she was standing there flexing her claws while her glowing eyes searched the room, completely ignoring Loki. Why was she not stopping him? She was all ablaze a moment before. Now would be a good time for her to step in and do something. However, she didn't. She was simply standing there, looking as if she were waiting for something.

"Step away please," a polite voice had asked from the other side of the room and all eyes turned to find Agent Coulson standing there, dressed impeccably in his dark gray suit and holding a particularly large gun. It was distraction enough and the demon's glowing eyes had finally focused on something, her growing now clear.

Agent Coulson was talking to the Loki by the control panel, explaining about the gun and its unknown use. He did not notice the real Loki that had appeared behind him with the scepter in hand. The sharp tip of scepter had found its way through the upper chest of Phil Coulson. Thor cried out in protest as he slammed his fist against the glass, helpless to do anything. Anger welling in him that Red Lady had not stopped his brother when she had the chance. The demon herself had roared her hatred, the red veins in her skin glowing with such burning heat that it burned more holes into her tattered clothing.

The explosion of flame that erupted from Loki was unexpected as was his harsh cry of pain. The kind of being that he truly was did not abide well with extreme heat and the flash flame had actually done some damage before it faded from his form. He was not one to easily catch flame like a human, but it was enough. He stumbled away from the collapsed form of the agent, who was staring at the demon in surprise, his labored breaths coming in gurgles as blood trickled from his mouth.

For a moment, Loki's true form could be seen, bluish-gray skin that looked shriveled from the attack and blood red eyes that were filled with hate as he caught sight of the female creature. Recognition flickered across his face as his features restored to their Asgardian state, his blue eyes were filling with hate. " _You!_ You stupid female! I thought you had gone the way of that mindless beast!" He stumbled against the control panel as he looked at it and then his brother. He turned his gaze to the female, who had roared at the mention of her missing mate.

"You like to play the hero then?" asked Loki as he started to laugh. "Well then, here is your opportunity. See if you can save my dear brother." And with that, he punched his fist into the button that released the hatch below the glass cell. With deafening sounds of grinding metal, the hooks released, and the cell had plummeted through the long hatchway and out into the open sky.

-o-

She hesitated for but a moment, a glare of pure hatred aimed at the frost giant that had caused so much trouble and took so many lives, before she ran and dove down the hatch after the cell. She would survive this, she had to. She needed to avenge her mate and this Asgardian would help her to do it. It was their fault for allowing such a mad being to go so far. He had found the dark void of the Chitauri, the one place that her people risked their lives to send those mindless, destructive things- and themselves- to in order to protect the other realms. Had their sacrifice been for nothing? She couldn't remember how her people had done it. She had been born in that dark place, she knew that as much. Survival was nigh impossible. That dark place sucked life out of everything... Now, it would all be for naught if the frost giant opened a portal to that cold hell.

The fact that her mate might be gone now because of this frost giant's misguided attempts at self-glorification stabbed her with pain that she had never felt before.

She quickly blocked the anguish that was constantly piercing her and focused on getting to the falling cell. She could see that the Asgardian was having trouble finding his footing and could not smash his way out. That hammer was a powerful thing, he shouldn't have such trouble. Then again, this had been meant for her mate...

Anguish...

Pain...

_Bruce..._

The wind was roaring around her ears as she kicked her feet once and a burst of flames erupted, helping to propel her faster toward the flipping, plummeting glass cell. Thanks her lithe, tall form, she bore little wind resistance and had reached out just in time to catch her claws into one of the metal sides of the cell. She was flipped over and over with the cell as the sight of the rising coastline began to draw nearer at a faster pace. She took in breath and released all the energy she had within to focus in her claws. The red veins in her arms burned with the heat, her claws melting away the metal as she carved and melted and tore out a large gaping hole.

The shoreline was coming much faster now, and she caught the wide eyed blue gaze of the god as he stared at her in shock before quickly taking action and swinging his hammer once. He tore through the opening and out into freedom, throwing her off by accident in the process. The cell had flipped around and caught her right on the edge. It sent her careening too far from the Asgardian to catch, she could hear his voice crying out to her in the rushing wind. She was plummeting off toward inland now instead of the water.

This was a familiar feel. Her first descent toward Earth all those years ago. She couldn't remember much but she remembered that day when a little human girl had stumbled across her and had become her savior. She closed her eyes and curled herself into a protective ball, as she had that very day when traveling through that wild portal that led from the dark void to Earth. The red veins in her skin burned brightly before her entire body erupted flame, burning at a high rate. The faster she fell, the hotter she burned until she was nothing but a ball of flame... A shooting star...

With a terrible impact, the ball of flames burned its way along the ground, through the trees and greenery of the forest she had landed in. The balled form crashed along the ground for several hundred feet before coming to a stop, crashing against the trunk of a tree and knocking it over. The flames died out and the balled form unfurled itself in the small crater it had formed. As it did, the demon began to shrink in size, filling out in shape, the red veins receding to the base of the naked woman's neck. She did not awake. She slept there well into night, left undisturbed by the local wildlife.

It wasn't until a tall, broad shouldered man came crashing through the darkness, his large frame brushing aside the local shrubs, that she began to stir. He had a large flashlight in one hand and a blanket in the other and when he found her, a sigh of relief escaped him. The man tucked the flashlight under an arm and was gentle as he wrapped the woman up in the blanket and lifted her from the ground...

Ana opened her eyes and looked up at the familiar man. It was Yannick, her mother’s bodyguard and most trusted confidante. He had been there with Sido since the very beginning. Seeing him here meant Ana was safe…

Tears welled in those brown eyes of hers and her throat grew tight with emotion. "Yann... He's gone," she said, her voice hoarse. Then she cried...

The man named Yannick looked down at the woman in his arms and he sighed heavily as he walked back the way he had come. "I know little one," said Yann. "I know... Your aunt had shown us everything. Go back to sleep. Your Mama is waiting for you. We're just glad your safe."

Ana had cried herself to sleep.

That night was the first she dreamed of her mate...


	22. Was It Worth It

_Now that we know just who we are_

_Now that we've finally come this far_

_I'm ready for one more battle scar_

_Cause this is still worth fighting for..._

**Still Worth Fighting For** – My Darkest Days

-o-

Chapter 22: Was It Worth It

Was it worth it facing that inhuman being alone?

He had hoped so.

The moment Agent Phil Coulson had shot Loki with the prototype gun, bore witness to the satisfying sight of the god being thrown through a wall, and found out that the gun bore the same explosive effects as Cin's attacks. He felt it had been worth it. He knew he didn't kill Loki but the fact that the god didn't come back to finish him off meant he had at least done his part. Ah well, at least he got to see one hero do something worthwhile. He smiled as he thought of Ana's other self and what she had done just a few moments before. She had jumped down after Thor without thought. She had tried to save him... He wondered if she did. He hoped so. He hoped she survived. Even in her enraged state, she had tried her best to do the right thing.

Coulson was glad he taken the time to change the codename on the files SHIELD had of her. That French name didn't suit her, Agent Hill really needed to have a better imagination. Now Cin was a hero name for her, simple and to the point. She was raging demon who could cause some very powerful flame attacks. Incinerating her foes, her devil like appearance... Yes, Cin was a very good solid name to instill fear in enemies, much like her counterpart, the Hulk. There was nothing like facing a demonic creature that made you think twice about your relationship with whatever higher power you believed in.

He took in a shuddering breath. The sharp pain that followed, and the feeling that his left lung was not getting enough air, was an indication. Blood was filling in his left lung. He would asphyxiate in a matter of minutes if he didn't get help. This far down from the bridge, when everyone had been evacuated from the lower levels, he wouldn't be seeing another day.

He hoped that he would survive long enough for someone to find him, so he could tell them to tell his boss to keep fighting. To keep believing in the Avengers. It was his dream to see those heroes together. To see his idol, Captain America, leading a team of super heroes to fight against this alien threat. Maybe his death would be the push they needed. It would be worth it if it meant finally bringing that team together...

He was feeling so tired now...

"Agent Coulson?" A soft voice had called out to him and the thumping of footsteps against the metal grill beneath him caught his attention. He looked up to see a young Asian woman, no more than in her early twenties, rushing toward him. She was dressed in the uniform of a SHIELD staff member that worked as a mechanic. A feeling of dread filled him as he looked at the young woman rushing to his side.

"You shouldn't... be here," he said, wincing at the pain in his left lung.

"I know, but I have orders," said the woman as she reached into a pouch at her side. She paused, looking as if she was listening to something, before she nodded and pulled out a pocket knife.

"Orders?" Coulson coughed, a trickle of blood escaping. "From... Fury?"

"Stop talking," said the woman as she reached out and ripped his suit jacket open before ripping his shirt apart. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a ball point pen she carried with her. She cut off the tip of the pen and pulled out the ink cartridge. She cut off the other end, making a hollow tube. She took in a breath and pulled aside Coulson's suit jacket and pulled apart his shirt, her dark eyes looking into his. "This is going to hurt."

Without warning, she pushed the blade of the knife in between his ribs and into his left lung, puncturing it. He inhaled sharply only to groan out in pain when something blunt was inserted into the wound. He could feel it in his lung and he glanced down at the woman's bloody hands, finding the pen tube was inserted into his lung. At once he could feel the pressure reducing as the blood was drained out.

"This will help prolong but only for a while. The higher ups have been notified of you being down for the count so medical assistance should arrive soon," said the woman as she wiped her bloody hands on her jump suit and reached into her pouch again. She pulled out a black plastic container and opened it, revealing a syringe. It was filled with some unknown red liquid that bore a hint of some glow. She stared at it with longing before she pulled off the safety cap and took Coulson's left wrist.

"What... are you doing?"

The woman looked at him and the frown that had been on her face softened a bit. "This was supposed to be my dose for today," she said. "There's only so much that modern medicine can do for us. When you're dying, you look for anything to help save your life. This is my hope, but you need it more than I do at the moment. You made a _very_ good friend Agent Coulson." She then inserted the syringe into a vein in his wrist and pushed the plunger in. At once a burning filled his veins and he winced at the feel of it. "Don't worry, the burning fades," she said, catching the wince he had given.

"What did you... do? Who are you working for?"

The woman didn't speak until she pulled out the syringe and replaced the cap. She took in a breath and offered a kind smile. "I hope I helped saved your life. I want to live mine as long and full as I can, but my illness will take more a lot than one dose. You, on other hand, have a flesh wound that should hopefully be easier to heal. As for who I work for, they're a private organization whose job is maintain the anonymity and safety of one person. The one who just jumped down that hatch I believe." She paused at this and regret touched her features. "I don't even know if she could survive a fall from that height. I didn't expect to actually be of use when I signed up for this... " She placed the empty syringe back in the container and then in her pouch before she placed a hand to her ear. "Jenn, it's done." She paused as she listened and then smiled. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you. Where should I go from here?" Another pause and then a light frown. Silence as she listened to the other voice before she gave a nod. "Yes, I understand. They should be coming soon. I'll make my way out. Yann will be there, right?" She listened once more before relief shown. "Yes, of course I'll help him. You know you don't have to ask... Understood. See you soon." She dropped her hand and looked at Coulson. "It seems I'm out of job here at SHIELD."

"But... Who are you?" he asked, already feeling the burning fade as whatever that liquid was coursed through his veins. He was already feeling more alert.

The woman smiled as she got to her feet. "Well, by the time SHIELD pulls up employee files, I'm sure I'll no longer be there. I didn't think searching for a cure would cost me my job but... It'll be worth it to live." She looked back the way she had come and then back to Coulson. "I suppose it doesn't matter now. My name's Cameron Nguyen. As far as SHIELD is concerned, you've never saw or heard of me. Just keep doing what you do best Agent Coulson. You made a friend in the daughter of someone who looks out for her own. You should thank your lucky stars. Hang in there, the medical team should be here soon."

She turned on her feet and ran off in a different direction, not heeding Coulson's calls to her. He sat there, now alone and much more confused than he ever had been in his life. That woman was working for someone whose daughter he had made friends with...

Understanding touched him, his breath coming a little easier now. Of course, the one person SHIELD could never find anything on. Ana. Her mother was an unknown geneticist, someone they could not identify despite the video footage of the fight at Stuttgart and obtaining the list of guests at that function.

Goodness, these were people who meant business if SHIELD could not even locate them. The fact that one of SHIELD's employees worked for them, that was a serious breach. Still, the woman had said she was dying of some illness... She had given him what she _needed_ to save her own life. That meant more to Coulson than anything else. He was rather glad now that he had tried to maintain a good friendship with Ana. Whatever organization was protecting her might just have saved his life.

Was it worth it? Yes. If only to know for sure that at least it was possible for a team to work together despite their differences. This unknown organization that helped to protect Ana risked a lot for one life, just based on what he had seen Ms. Nguyen do just now for him, a complete stranger. If they could work together, why couldn't the Avengers? What did this team lack?

For the first time in his life, disappointment and anger began to well within him. They didn't have a mutual cause to fight for. They didn't have common ground. If an enraged demon such as Cin could dive into open air in an attempt to save another person's life, at risk of her own, then why couldn't this team of Avengers? She could have died...

That's when the idea struck him. Her apparent death, her sacrifice would be a strong key. Even if she did survive, they had no way of knowing. There was no way of tracking her, she didn't exist in any records they could find. But the team had gotten to know her. For a moment in time she had been real to the people here on this ship. Especially toward Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark. They had been closer to her than anyone. That would be something...

His idea took hold and he continued thinking, making himself believe in the death of Ana, if only to get the emotion right. His being "fatally" wounded, and her apparent death were incentive enough.

As the sound of running footsteps reached him, he caught sight of Nick Fury leading the fray toward him. Yes, it was worth it.

There would just be a lot of lying involved for his part, but it would be worth it just to see this team pull together like it should have from the beginning...

-o-

He awoke to pain and the feel of cool air blowing around his privates.

He could feel several pieces of broken concrete digging into his back. His head was pounding, and he felt as if someone had run him over several times with an eighteen-wheeler. He groaned as he sat up, hearing a stranger's voice from somewhere above him.

"You fell from the sky."

He opened his eyes, the stabbing light of day hurting his retinas. He glanced over shoulder and caught sight of an old security guard standing on top of the pile of rubble Bruce was laying in. He groaned again and rubbed his eyes before he took in a breath and looked at the old man. "Did I hurt anybody?"

The old security guard gestured to the pile of rubble and looked around at the empty warehouse that he had landed in. "There's nobody around here to get hurt," he said, pausing a moment before a smile appeared. "You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though."

"Lucky," said Bruce as he turned way, rubbing his aching head. What the hell happened? His heart gave a sudden jolt as he looked around him once more, not finding a particular person with him. Of course, she wouldn't be with him... But the Other Guy had really liked her. He wouldn't have left her intentionally, would he? He hoped she was all right...

"Or just good aim," said the old man. "You were awake when you fell."

He looked back at the old security guard and swallowed. "You saw?"

"The whole thing," the old man replied and pointed up to the hole in the ceiling of the warehouse before gesturing down to where Bruce lay. "Right through the ceiling. Big and green and... buck ass nude." The old security guard then leaned down to pick up a pile of clothes at his feet.

Bruce tried to force down the panic that was rising. "Was I alone?" he asked. "Did you see anyone else fall?"

The old man studied Bruce as a slight frown touched his weathered features. "No. If they did, they must've fallen somewhere else. I hope they weren't as big as you." He threw the clothes down to Bruce. "Here. I didn't think those'd fit you till you shrunk down to a regular size fella'."

Bruce took the dark pants with the belt still in the loops, they looked like a spare to the old man's uniform. He pulled them on with mumbled thanks, his mind going a mile a minute as he tried to think back on what had happened. He had no memory of anything and the Other Guy was much too quiet.

"Are you an alien?" The old man asked, watching Bruce as he got dressed.

Bruce stood up to pull on the pants, looking at the security guard in confusion. "What?"

"Y'know, from outer space? An alien," said the old man, gesturing to the sky above.

"Uh... no," said Bruce as he buttoned up the pants and tightened and secured the belt.

"Well then son," said the old man, looking solemn. "You've got a condition."

Bruce paused as he went to grab the spare gray shirt of the security uniform and looked at the old man with slight shock, having no words to say. Yeah, he had a _condition_ all right. He pulled on the shirt as he looked up at the hole in the ceiling and then around him. He didn't see any signs of anything worthwhile. He didn't realize what he was looking for until he had walked down the pile of rubble. He saw a blackened mark on one of the bricks in the pile, a slight burnt area that would have normally gone unnoticed by anyone.

He was looking for Ana. He was looking for signs of her, or at least her other self. Oh god, he hoped she was safe and all right. He knew the Other Guy wouldn't harm her, but he remembered the explosion before the change. The memory of that pipe that had pierced her left shoulder, the lack of movement...

Pain filled him at the thought and he immediately chased it off. No. She was fine. She was safe. She had to be if the Other Guy had left her there on the Helicarrier _._ A muscle ticked in his jaw as he felt the tightness in his chest at the thought of being so far from her. He had to go back. Tony would have kept an eye on her. If there was anyone Ana would stick with, it would be Tony.

"So," the old man called to him, moving slowly down from the pile of rubble. "Which one is it?"

Bruce looked at the security guard, pulled from his troubled thoughts, as he buttoned his shirt and took a step around to face him. "Sorry?"

The old man walked toward him before stopping, moving his hands in an expressive gesture. "Are you a big guy that gets all little? Or a little guy that sometimes, ah... blows up large?"

Bruce stared at the old man for a moment before he shook his head, "You know," he said as he shrugged. "I'm not even sure."

The old security guard studied Bruce thoughtfully for a moment before he tilted his head. "You got somewhere to go?"

Bruce stared off into the distance as he thought. Did he have somewhere to go? Yes. Yes, he did. The one place wherever she was. Nothing had ever felt like home until he had met her. He had a good idea of where he could find her. Or at least a place to start. "Stark Tower... I..." He paused, trying to find the words. He had to get to Ana, but it wasn't a guarantee that she would even be with Tony. If the ship had been attacked, she could be anywhere. "No..." He paused again, his hunch telling him he had to head to New York City. Stark Tower was there and Tony was surely to be found. Even if she wasn't there, Tony could contact Jenn. She would know for sure where his woman was.

_His woman._

Feelings of possession, desire and an urgency had tightened in his chest and it was now that he could feel the Other Guy finally stirring in his subconscious. _Mine... My... fiery... A... na... Find... Need..._

A warmth pulsed in his heart of hearts as the Other Guy made his thought known. Love. The Other Guy loved Ana. Both sides of her. She was theirs just as they were hers, Ana and her fiery side. She was good for them. He wanted her back. Bruce knew that if this warmth he felt from the Other Guy was love, it wasn't rocket science to know his own feelings were being echoed and amplified.

"Yes," said Bruce after a moment, a look of conviction appearing.

The old man laughed a bit and gestured for Bruce to follow as he walked off toward an exit. "I'd expect some confusion of the mind since your body's kind of... all over the place." He led Bruce toward the parking lot outside, the good doctor following at his side. "But, it has to be one or the other."

"I know where I can do the most good but it's where I can do the most harm," Bruce said, as he tucked his shirt into his pants. His thoughts were focusing on the memories of Ana and how calm she had always made him, even during those tense situations. If Ana was there with Tony, it would make things much easier. However, if he were to go to New York, there was the threat of the Chitauri with the portal being at Stark Tower. If she wasn't there, who knew what the Other Guy would do to that city this time.

The old man laughed and shrugged. "Well, that's no different from anybody else."

They walked out of the warehouse and the security guard led him to an old motorcycle that was parked behind an older pickup truck. "Here, take this and get to where you need to go."

Bruce paused as the old man dug in his pockets and handed him a set of old keys. The good doctor took the keys and stared at them before he looked at the old man. "Thanks... For everything."

"Son," said the old man, a light smile appearing on his thin lips. "I know a man in love when I see one. Even someone with your condition needs all the good things in life you can get." He paused a bit and frowned lightly. "Now, I know something bad must've gone down with how you were but if your... uh... _significant_ other needs you. You better get to them."

Bruce laughed at the hesitant tones the old man gave, knowing in this day and age the open sexuality might be a bit uncomfortable for a man of his generation. He climbed on the bike and inserted the keys in the ignition. "Her name's Ana." He took in a breath, saying her name aloud making her so much more real.

The old security guard laughed bit, realizing how hesitant he was being as his smile grew. "Lovely name..." He paused and his smile faded a bit. "Get to her son. You need her and I hope she needs you too."

Bruce nodded as he started motorcycle and tried his best to calm his nerves. He wasn't sure how far from New York he was, but he would ride straight on through. He had to. He not only had Ana but his friend, Tony. Those two had made him feel more normal than he ever had in a long time. Almost as if he had a family... They needed his help. If being a part of the Avengers meant being with them, then he would do it.

It was worth it.

She was worth it


	23. The Pain That Struck

_They say there's no place to go, my love_

_And this adrenaline_

_Oh_

_Burns like a fire you know_

_The same on earth that you roam_

_It's about survival_

_You'll never take us..._

**Boom Zombies Communications 101** – Victim Effect

-o-

Chapter 23: The Pain That Struck

The pain that struck his heart was different from anything he had felt in the past.

Later that evening, after everything had settled down from the battles earlier, Tony Stark stood on the edge of the metal grilled platform that overlooked the hatch where the glass cell was once kept. He stood with his hands behind his back, his Black Sabbath t-shirt bearing a faint glow in the middle of his chest from the reactor. It was a part of him. It helped keep those minute pieces of shrapnel from reaching his heart.

Yet it didn't stop the emotional pain.

The meeting that Fury just had with them regarding his reasons for starting the Avengers Initiative was little consolation. Agent Phil Coulson was in a coma from his fight with Loki. One that he had no hope of him ever waking from, based on what the medical team had told them. He had been whisked away from the Helicarrier to another SHIELD base that still had full power, one that was land locked, in order for him to get the full life support that he needed. He couldn't even breathe on his own.

The words that were his last, according to Fury, was that Ana was gone. Her other self had fought with Loki and lost. It still did not stop her from trying to save Thor, who Loki had tricked into being locked in the glass cell. It was between revenge and sacrifice. Ana's other self had chosen sacrifice. No one knew if she had succeeded in saving Thor from the cell or if she had survived the fall. SHIELD agents had found the shattered remains of the glass cell on that shoreline, but thankfully that was all.

Tony hoped and prayed that Thor had managed to catch her.

It was enough that Phil was bordering on life and death, risking his life for an idea he believed in so firmly. To have the thought that Ana may not have lived... She had done something that had made Phil smile when he thought of her before he fell into unconsciousness. He had told Fury that if a raging monster could risk everything in the belief of saving another life, why couldn't the Avengers? There was hope. They just needed something to bring together. Maybe...

Tony swallowed back the tightness in his throat. No, Ana had to be alive. If she was anything like her boyfriend, she was durable. She had to be. He had looked through his phone, reading and searching through every file he had of her. But there was nothing. No record of her having survived such a fall before. Oh, she could survive gunshots, freezing temperatures, explosions... But none of the experiments from the LIFE Foundation included dropping her from a height of thirty thousand feet.

"Damn it," he cursed, clenching the phone in his fist as he slammed his other fist against the railing that surrounded the hatchway. "She's gotta be OK..."

Bruce...

Oh god, Bruce would break if he found out. That woman had, single handedly in the span of nearly two weeks, brought that man happiness that he hadn't felt in a long time. She had made him feel normal. Tony had seen it that morning when Bruce had come into the lab late. He had been radiating it. Ana was the reason he kept calm now. When they were together, they were so content that the risk of the other selves emerging was slim. Unless they were both provoked, as they had been from that explosion.

Bruce was gonna kill him for not keeping an eye on her. Yes, Tony had been busy with restoring the function of the that propeller and nearly getting mangled in the process, so he couldn't have been in two places at once. That didn't stop the guilt. Tony saw Bruce as one of his closest friends now, one of the few important people in his life next to Pepper and Rhodey. And Ana... She was an unexpected addition. She'd grown from some unknown entity to becoming the little sister he got to pick on whenever he needed a smile. He had failed as a friend to both Bruce and Ana. He was supposed to watch out for them. If she was really dead...

He looked at his phone then, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before, then dialed the secure phone number that reached Jenn. It rang a few times before the line was answered and the cool female voice was a relief to his ear.

"Mr. Stark," greeted Jenn, her computerized voice bearing a hint of worry. "I thought you would call sooner."

"Tell me she's all right," said Tony, getting straight to the point.

Silence was the response and then a reluctant. "She's alive, Mr. Stark. Not all right."

Relief, blessed and needed, coursed through him before the second part of Jenn's statement registered. “What do you mean?"

"She is broken Mr. Stark," said Jenn, a hint of sadness could be heard. "She thinks Dr. Banner is dead. There is no way her mother and I can verify if he survived. The area he landed in had some abandoned warehouses. The most technology they have there are regular phone lines and standard above ground electrical workings. There was nothing for me to hack into. The GPS satellites did find one of the warehouses with a huge hole in the roof but no sign of Banner."

"This is the Hulk we're talking about," said Tony, a smile touching his goateed lips. "He can survive a fall like that. Knowing Banner, he'll be making his way to the closest place he knows..." Tony trailed off then as realization touched him. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it before? That was why Bruce was going on about Loki's jab and it might be what had picked up on the scanners before the explosion. Loki was going for show and there was no better way to say fuck you to your enemy then to set your weapons right on their home turf.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Jenn, I'm giving you permission to access Jarvis. Do all you can to help him to keep Selvig from accessing that arc reactor at the tower. I don’t want to risk shutting down the reactor just yet so see if you can find some way. Loki's planning on opening that portal there." He turned around and he made his way to the corridor, his mind going a mile a minute. "Is there any way you can get Ana there? We'll need her help." He paused in mid step and turned slightly, the look on his face was one of sincere care. "Do what you can to get her there. Banner is gonna be on his way, I'm sure of it. He's going to want to see her first and foremost after all that's gone down."

"Mr. Stark, I hadn't seen any sign of-"

"Jenn, trust me. Just get Ana there, Banner will show." He continued walking down the hall, feeling much more in control with every step he took. "I'll get the team together. It'll take a few days for us to regroup but we'll be ready."

"Very well Mr. Stark," said Jenn, a hint of amusement could be heard. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes actually," said Tony as he turned the corner to the next corridor that lead to the armory where his suit was kept. "I'd like to formally offer you a position with Stark Industries. Our Research and Development team could really use your talents."

Soft laughter could be heard, the first that Jenn had ever given since they had started talking. "Does it come with paid time off?"

"And health benefits, 401k plans, everything you need."

"I'll think about it. Talk to you later Mr. Stark," said Jenn before the line was disconnected.

Tony smirked as he slipped his phone back in his pocket and ran off to get his suit back in working order. He had a team to get together.

-o-

It had taken nearly three days, but the team was finally ready, though by that time the device for the Tesseract was now operational. Even with Jarvis and Jenn working behind the scenes doing all they could to slow down Selvig (aside from simply shutting down the reactor, which Tony hadn't want to do unless as a drastic measure) the cube was an unlimited energy source that simply needed a kick start from the arc reactor. It took one connection and that was it. The device was ready.

Tony, now Iron Man, was on his way, and though Jenn had finally shut down the reactor at his order, the device was self-sustaining. One brief confrontation with Selvig and the device powered on. All hell had broken loose.

The Avengers team was fighting off alien hordes while trying to save and protect innocents caught in the middle. Iron Man was feeling slightly worried as he flew about Midtown, helping where he could. Where was Bruce? He should be here by now...

He managed to dodge the oncoming laser beams of one of the Chitauri that had been following him on its hover vehicle. He fired back, burning a hole right through its skull. It was a grotesque thing, a cross between reptilian ape and cyborg. It's violet blood, followed by the spark of electrical workings in its skull, gave proof to that theory. It crashed down to the street below.

Iron man had followed its descent while flying a little lower to avoid an oncoming alien when right below him, an eruption took place. In a twenty-foot radius, many of the Chitauri were spontaneously combusting. The sound of a banshee-like scream reached his auditory sensors and a smile appeared on his lips. Right in the center of this burning mass of writhing alien bodies was a sight for sore eyes. She hadn't completely changed but she was getting there. With an explosion that erupted from her feet, Cin was propelled into the air and onto the path of a hover vehicle.

The alien driving it didn't stand a chance.

With an eruption of balled flames, it was nothing more burning pair of legs and electrical workings. Just as the hover craft began to descend, Cin moved onto the next vehicle that had been firing at her. With a sickening visual of pulsating red veins, she thrust her fingers into the face of the alien, only for red claws to emerge from the other side. Her glowing yellow orbs were filled with a mad rage as she leapt from the vehicle and landed on the side of a building. She dug her claws into the brick and finally completed her full change. She was tall, lithe, every visible inch of her torso and limbs covered with burning red veins, and ready to battle. With a roar, she jumped from one building to another, attacking a Chitauri with clawed hands and feet that ripped and tore. With a screech, she released her explosive powers on those she couldn't reach, which now extended to twice the size of the original attack.

She was taking more of them out by the moment and Iron Man couldn't have been happier.

"Mr. Stark, do you copy?" A cool female voice spoke in his ear.

"Gotcha Jenn, I found Cin. Gotta say, love the new name for her."

Jenn laughed at that. "Thank Agent Coulson. But never mind that, would you grab Sido? She's been hurt. She's on the sidewalk where Ana left her after the change. She's done her part now I need my sister safe."

"Don't worry, I got her."

Iron Man swung around back the way he had come, his scanners running along the sidewalk below him before they focused on the tall, dark haired French woman. He flew down and landed right in front her, being careful as he picked her up from the ground. "Mrs. Brandt, a pleasure to finally meet you. I have to say, you raised one hell of a daughter."

"Mr. Stark," said Sido, her French accent adding a lovely tone to her words. She laughed, wrapping her arms around his metal neck. "The pleasure's mine and thank you. I am proud of my angel. Now, could you get me out of here? I don't want to be a distraction for you all."

He took off into the air, holding Ana's mother carefully as he took her to the rendezvous point Jenn had notified him of. Sido's body guard, a man named Yann, would be there to take her.

"By the way, has Dr. Banner shown?" she asked, looking at Iron Man with slight worry in her pale blue eyes.

"Not yet, but he'll be here."

Sido sighed heavily. "I hope so. She misses him terribly Mr. Stark. I don't think she can last another day..."

-o-

It had taken nearly three days before Bruce had finally reached New York City. It was complete and utter chaos that greeted him as he made his way toward Midtown. Everyone was trying to escape the onslaught of the alien army that was now making their way down from the portal above Stark Tower. He'd come too late but better than never.

He kept on riding through, avoiding the smashed vehicles, the screaming people, the chaos, until he reached the on ramp for one of the freeways. He had seen a flash of red, white and blue fighting there and a woman with vibrant red hair shooting at the aliens around them. The moment he rode the motorcycle toward the group ahead of him, his eyes automatically scanned them, looking for a particular head of copper brown curls. There was nothing.

He swallowed as he tried to keep the tension down. He slowed down the bike, catching the attention of Captain America, who had been speaking to Black Widow, Hawkeye and Thor. All eyes turned to him as he got off the bike and set it against a car that had been turned over. Walking slowly toward them, he looked around and threw his hands out, "Well, this all seems... horrible."

"I've seen worse," said Natasha as she studied Bruce with a wary eye. One would have thought it had been because of their last encounter. Too bad that wasn't the reason.

"Sorry," said Bruce, a tinge of regret visible on his features.

"No, we could use... a little worse," she said, thinking back on her encounter with the Hulk and wondering what he'd do now that...

"Stark, we got him," said Captain America, touching a gloved hand to his helmet.

Bruce didn't pay Rogers any mind, he could see the hesitance in Natasha's eyes. Something was wrong, something they didn't want to tell him. She was the last one he remembered that had been with Ana before his change. He swallowed and took in a breath. "Where's Ana?"

Dead silence was what greeted him and the panic had risen a notch. He noticed the group looking at one another in uneasiness, looking as if he had asked the one question they had hoped he wouldn't. Natasha took in a breath and looked at Thor. He wasn't the only one Ana's other self had saved that day. Natasha knew that if Cin had not interfered with the Hulk's rage, she could have been seriously hurt or worse. "Bruce... Ana's..."

"I'm sorry my friend," said Thor, interrupting Natasha, regret was etched on every feature of his face. "Loki had escaped and tricked me. I was locked in that glass prison and released into the air. Your mate had been there to get me out. We were falling at such a fast speed..." He swallowed, hesitant, but continued on. "She was thrown from the prison when I made my escape. I was not quick enough to catch her. I am... _truly_ sorry. I owe her a debt I wish that I could repay..."

He was numb at first, nothing but cold numbness touching his heart as he stared at Thor. He took in a breath and then two as disbelief replaced the numbness. "No," he said, shaking his head as he took a step back and tried to smile, looking as if he hoped it was all a bad joke. "No, no, no... She's gotta be here." There was no other place she could be. She couldn't be...

That was when the pain struck his heart and he clenched his fists tightly as the pain began to turn to cold fury. He'd failed her. He was supposed to protect her and he'd failed. The fury was escalating as the anguish began to mix in. The Other Guy was breaking apart inside. His fiery one, his mate, his love, could not be gone. She couldn't be dead. They'd just found her. There was supposed to be a happy ending somewhere in there, wasn't there? Didn't he deserve that at least with the life he had had to live? He finally had the chance and it was torn from him yet again.

He didn't hear Rogers speaking with Tony, he didn't see the worried glances that Natasha and Thor gave. Bruce simply clenched his fists and looked over his shoulder, catching sight of Iron Man leading a particularly large, grotesque leviathan that was flying through the air by some unknown means. He glanced back at the others before he turned and walked toward the creature, Iron Man flying overhead. It had now flown low to the street and was crashing into everything in its path.

"Dr. Banner," Captain America called to him, walking a few steps forward as he held out a hand to get his attention. "Now might be a good time to get angry."

Bruce almost laughed at that, the cold fury continuing to build up within him, as he glanced back at the soldier but kept on walking ahead. "That's my secret Captain." He stopped, a few traitorous tears slipping down his cheeks as he frowned. "I'm always angry..." He turned away and as he did so his frame smoothly transitioned from that of Dr. Banner into the Hulk, ripping shoes and shirt and bottom leg pants along the way.

The creature was just upon him when the Hulk threw down a heavy fist against the creature's snout, a huge bellowing roar escaping him, his tears still falling. He braced himself against force of the creature, his bare feet digging into the concrete.

Iron Man had turned back around and stopped to hover in the air, taking aim. "Hold on," he said to the others and fired at the large metal scaled backside of the creature that was rising into the air. He fired straight between the metal plates, the little missile exploding on impact. Pieces of meat, metal and electrical workings flew everywhere. The smashed head of the creature continued sliding off the thruway and down to the street below.

The Hulk let out another bellowing roar at the aliens that were scaling down the surrounding buildings, his anguish and anger could clearly be heard. Iron Man could certainly hear it and he swallowed, wondering what had set Bruce off so easily.

"Natasha, what exactly did you tell him?" he asked the agent.

Silence and then. "The truth. Ana's gone. There was no other way to let him know."

_Shit_ , Iron Man thought as he broke the communications link and hovered down to the group, settling himself down next to the Hulk, who was clenching his massive green fists. _Don't worry Big Man. You're in for a very good surprise._ He thought as he smiled, thinking of Cin, who was fighting her own battles several blocks down from where they were. All they had to do now was cross paths and then the real fun would begin...


	24. Romance on the Battlefield

_U feel so good..._

_U smell so good..._

_U feel so warm..._

_Just like I knew U would_

_Can't let U go..._

_Can't let U go..._

_I can't let you go..._

**Teach U A Lesson** – Robin Thicke

-o-

Chapter 24: Romance on The Battlefield

Romance on the battlefield could be a beautiful thing, if only because of the dire situations that made such a love possible.

When it happened between two raging monsters that had mated, and both thought the other had perished, it made the romance much more primal.

The desire, the urgency, the _pure emotion_ , that was involved was enough to make even the most well experienced of people blush in surprise. That was what Thor had been witness to the moment Hulk and Cin had finally come across one another.

All of the Avengers team had been fighting, following the strategies that Captain America had called out, taking out the Chitauri as they went. As it happened, Thor and the Hulk had managed to get themselves on the back of one of the floating whale-like leviathans that harbored the Chitauri army. As the creature flew its way down one of the many streets, Hulk and Thor were doing all they could to decimate the Chitauri creatures that were climbing out of the thing. They were doing a hell of job, but the leviathan needed to be put down...

It had happened just as the Hulk had ripped off a piece of the creature's metal plates and stabbed it down deep into the neck of the thing. Thor swung his hammer and slammed down on that piece, giving a good jolt of electricity. It was at that point that a banshee-like cry had surrounded them, a familiar form had jumped off a passing hover vehicle and landed onto the head of the creature.

Just as the jolt of electricity surged the creature, the familiar form had let loose a primal high-pitched roar as she stabbed her red claws in between the metal plates and into the meat of the thing, releasing a burning jolt of heat. The head of the creature exploded in a fantastic array of lightning and flame. It immediately took a nose dive and crashed through a building, one that held the familiar Grand Central Terminal. It crashed through the wall and into a landmark, decimating it completely before it slid to a stop, now good and dead.

Thor took a few steps down, surveying the damage done, when his blue gaze sight of the Red Lady he had thought perished. She was ripping and tearing at the neck of the thing, her feral cries of anger echoing off the walls of the station.

_By Valhalla,_ Thor thought, _the blessed Red Lady survived..._ His thought was cut short from a violent punch he received from the Hulk. He was thrown several hundred feet into the nearest wall and broke through it. He emerged from the rubble just in time to see the Hulk staring in surprise at the female in front of him, who had not noticed him behind her.

He let out a bellowing roar, catching her attention. She paused in her onslaught of decimating the carcass of the creature and looked over her shoulder, her glowing orbs focusing on the large green male before her. They widened for a moment and she turned away from the carcass to face the Hulk. She let loose a series of high pitched roars, which the Hulk responded with one, deep growl of his own.

The next moment, an explosion of flames erupted and the Red Lady was gone. There had been a trail of flames along the back of the dead creature and then the Hulk was also gone, taken by the force of the female. Thor quickly climbed out of the rubble and rushed his way outside, hoping that they were ok. His worries were unfounded.

They were on the street, surrounded by the burning bodies of many Chitauri. The Red Lady was on top of the Hulk and crooning to him in a heartbreaking tone, rubbing her forehead against his as her tears fell down her cheeks, the liquid hissing off into steam. She let loose a series of crooning sounds before she hiccupped and buried her face within the crook of his neck.

The Hulk had wrapped his large arms around her lithe frame, a deep grumble emerging from his torso as he rubbed his cheek against her dark curls. They held each other for some time before the Red Lady started to smother his face with kisses before capturing his lips with her own. The look of surprise on the Hulk's face was enough to warrant that this behavior was completely Ana's. Her human self had shown through, relief at finding her mate alive.

The Hulk took the kiss in stride, having never been kissed before, at least in this form. He simply held her tighter against him, looking so relieved. His mate was alive and safe. She had finally broken away and started nipping at his neck, her long limbs wrapping about his hips as she started to move against him, her urges quite clear. That had immediately caught the Hulk's attention and the growl that emerged was one of urgency and need.

_Oh my,_ thought Thor as he saw the primal display and the blush was in his cheeks before he could stop it. _They mean to..._

The attack of a passing Chitauri hover vehicle broke that the moment fairly quickly, the laser catching the Red Lady upon the back. A very bad move. Both raging monsters glanced up at the passing hover vehicle and their mutual roars of displeasure could be heard for several hundred feet around.

The Hulk had gotten to his feet, carrying his female with him by one arm. He had glanced at her and let out a questioning grumble, which was promptly answered by a deep growl of anger from her as she adjusted herself in his grip, looking as if she wanted to be thrown. The Hulk had smiled then, an evil looking smirk that graced his green lips. He quickly nuzzled her neck before pressing a kiss against the base of it, the glowing red patch that was always there now glowing brighter at the contact.

The Red Lady crooned to him before she braced herself. The Hulk took his mate in his arms, bracing himself, before he threw her at an oncoming leviathan. Her claws were bared as she let out a piercing roar and landed on the face of the creature, digging her red claws into its eyes before the head exploded from a fiery eruption. The Hulk had been running after her and leapt up into the air to catch his mate just as she was thrown from the carcass of the creature. She looked at him and crooned softly, rubbing her forehead lovingly against his as the Hulk landed in a crash to the street below. He was focused on the ministrations of his female, his look of contentment unlike anything Thor had seen before.

_They truly are mates,_ thought Thor as he allowed a smile to touch his lips. Love was present here and it gave Thor renewed hope. If those two feral creatures could find hope and love within each other, then anything was possible. He took his hammer in hand, ready to fight alongside this couple. If anything was worth fighting for in this life, love was quite a good reason.

-o-

So, the battle raged on, except this time the odds had been evened out. With Cin now reunited with the Hulk, her attacks were much more focused and deadlier. Her ability to bring any alien to spontaneously combust within a certain radius of her had gotten the Hulk to start throwing her around like a bomb waiting to explode. He was always there to catch her and the moment he did, their reunion was always as sweet as the first. With a loving croon from her and nuzzle against the back of her neck from him, the attack would begin again.

Thor was ecstatic to see such a display. They were so in tune with one another that the majority of the Chitauri that were near them were focusing their attack on Cin whenever she appeared. Apparently, they had finally recognized her for what she was. Still, it did not detain the mated couple from their attacks against the aliens, in fact the enraged Cin was remembering strategies from a life gone by. She knew of ways to bring the aliens down, their weak spots in between their armor, the best places to aim when firing from long distance. The god of thunder was glad that at least one Lyttan had survived long enough to remember these creatures' weak points.

It had gotten so well for the Avengers, and so bad for the god of mischief, that Loki had finally given the command to send the rest of the army. In the end, it didn't matter. The red veined Lyttan had found her mate and her rage. For her destroyed people, for revenge against the stupid frost giant who thought he could control such an army, for everything that had been lost and for everything that had been gained, Cin had found her calling in life. And the Hulk was there to catch her with each fall, his loving grumbles to her and fierce growls against any attack upon her being all the support she needed.

It had finally been brought to a halt the moment that Hawkeye had managed to attack Loki in one of the hover vehicles, the god's attack focused upon a dodging Black Widow, who was controlling one of the creatures on another vehicle by steering it with blades imbedded in its back. Cin had pointed the falling god to her mate, her roar for vengeance being all the incentive the Hulk needed to hear. He had taken her upon his back and leapt from building to building until he made it to the balcony of the Stark Tower where Loki had crashed upon.

The Hulk threw the god through a window, a hail of broken glass following after them as he crashed to a stop upon the tiled floor of Tony's personal apartments. He allowed his female to slide off his back before he thumped his massive green fists against the floor and went after the god.

"Enough!" cried Loki, rising quickly to his feet as he threw back his green cape. The Hulk stopped, thrown slightly off guard by the sudden yell from the small male.

Loki glared at the Hulk, trying to look intimidating but failing considering who he was glaring at. "You are, all of you, beneath me! I am a god, you dull creatures! And I will not be bullied by-"

His speech was cut off the moment the Hulk had taken him by the legs and started pummeling him against the tiled floor, chunks of broken black tile flying everywhere. Cin's growling laughter could be heard the moment the Hulk paused in his pummeling to stare at the small male in his hand. Loki managed few breaths of surprise before the pummeling began several more times until he was smashed against the tiled floor one final time, a small crater forming from the impact.

Loki remained where he was, the breath completely knocked out of him, a slight groan escaping his lips.

Cin continued to laugh in her growling way as she made her way toward her large green mate, her clawed feet clicking against the tiled floor.

"Puny god," was all the Hulk had to say as he took his female by the waist and pulled her up onto a massive shoulder, walking off with a hand gripping her firmly by the thigh. Cin glanced back at the puny god and her feral smile was telling, her pride in her mate all too clear. The Avengers had a Hulk on their side, a Hulk who was mated. That was indeed a dangerous thing to come across...

-o-

In the end, it wasn't the Chitauri that the Avengers had to worry about.

It was the nuclear missile that Fury's higher ups had ordered against his advice.

It was flying straight to the island of Manhattan and the worst part was that there were civilians still there, trying to get away from the fighting. It was with Fury's call to Tony, with Jenn's hurried instructions to send the missile through portal, and Jarvis' warning about Tony's energy levels, that set the whole thing in motion.

With a strangled breath of hope and prayer, the Iron Man had grabbed the nuke himself and took it through the portal. It was the primal, protesting, roars of the Hulk and his mate that bore the true emotion of such a sacrifice. They were the ones who remembered the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist for what he was. A true friend and brother.

It took a moment, a long and tense moment, before the aliens around them began to fall down dead. The portal began to waver as the power that sustained machine was finally cut off, thanks to Selvig's instinct to build in an emergency cut off switch, which needed Loki's scepter to activate. The Black Widow had taken care of that.

As the portal wavered and began to shrink, the bated breaths of the Avengers continued on. It wasn't until a speck of familiar gold and red armor appeared that the breaths were released. Except, he wasn't slowing down in his fall... Tony wasn't awake.

The high pitched, protesting roars from his female as she started running, jumping off the roof they had been on and trying to aim herself to catch the man she thought of as Brother, was more than enough to get him started in running on his own. He was much taller and had much more strength in his limbs than she did and leapt after her. He had managed to catch Iron Man, his green hand and feet tearing against the side of the building across before he threw himself off of it. He turned around and took the brunt of the fall, crashing into a car in the process on the street below.

The Hulk took in breath before he threw Iron Man aside, the sudden slam of broken concrete alerting him of his mate beside him. Cin was on her knees as she crawled to Iron Man's side and turned him to his back. She began to croon in a worried manner as her red claws dug against the crevices of the mask and tore it aside with little regard.

Captain America and Thor had just arrived on foot, seeing the female as she gently ran a claw against Tony's face, her crooning one of deep sadness. Tony wasn't waking up and the heartbreaking croons of Cin were made even worse as she tapped a red claw against his chest piece, trying to get the glow back. She pressed her ear against his chest and closed her eyes, her growl one of anger and deep sadness. Thor and Captain America had gathered round the two, their sadness quite clear in their mannerisms.

The Hulk couldn't take the sight of the one he called friend being asleep. He couldn't stand the heartfelt cries of his mate as she tried to wake their friend up. He took a step forward and let loose a bellowing roar that vibrated through all those present.

Tony let loose a frightened gasp, his hazel eyes opening wide as he looked around at the group surrounding him. The Hulk let out another roar, slamming a huge green fist against his massive chest.

"What the hell!" said Tony, looking around at the group in shock. "What just happened?" He looked at Thor before he caught sight of Captain America close to him. "Please tell me nobody kissed me."

The sudden sight of glowing yellow orbs caught him off guard as a warm purr began to emanate and the nuzzle against his cheek from Cin was unexpected. She pressed her hot lips against his cheek as tears fell from her glowing eyes and hissed against her skin. " _Bro... ther..._ " she growled in such a heartfelt way before pressing her lips against his forehead.

Tony stared at Cin and allowed a hint of a smile to appear on his goateed lips. "OK, I don't mind that kiss," he said as Cin continued her ministrations to him, purring and crooning to him, her tears still falling. She nuzzled his forehead, rubbing it against her own, before she looked up at her mate and smiled, a breathtaking smile that resembled Ana's at her happiest moments.

The Hulk knew that smile. It was a promise of things to come. Oh goodness... That smile... He needed his mate...

The sudden feel of primal urges was cut off as Captain America mumbled something about them winning. The clanking of Tony's metal fist against the concrete broke the feral, sexual tension between the two raging monsters. "All right... Hey!" He thumped another metal fist against the ground. "All right, good job Guys... Gal... Let's just not come in tomorrow... Let's just take a day..."

He looked at the large green frame of the Hulk and pointed to him. "You ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here."

Cin's growling laughter could be heard as she reached out to pull Iron Man upon her lap and nuzzled his forehead again. He smiled up at her, knowing that Ana was shining through. "I don't know what it is but I wanna try it."

Thor glanced up at the remains of Stark Tower then and let out a heavy breath. "We're not finished yet..."

-o-

Loki was struggling from the crater that the Hulk had beat him down to. The Metal Man hadn't been lying. They had had a Hulk. One who was very much protective of the female demon he had originally come across that fateful night in Stuttgart. Something told him it wasn't mere coincidence that all of this had happened as it had...

He paused as he tried pulling himself up the few steps toward the bar that the Metal Man had originally offered a drink from. His keen senses told him that moving any further would mean a world of pain he hadn't experienced yet. He took in breath as he turned himself over, his aches and pains doubling at the sight of the feral couple at the back of the group of Avengers. He ignored them as best as he could. "If it's all the same to you," he began, adjusting his aching body as he sat up. "I'll have that drink now..."

The growl from the Hulk at his request was enough to keep him silent.

-o-

Tony Stark was relieved that it was all over.

Thor had taken his adoptive brother by the back of the neck, a threatening gesture that was amplified with the Hulk and Cin so close by. Cin's growls were menacing enough as she flexed her red claws, aching to rip into the frost giant with everything she had. The large green hand on her lithe waist was what kept her from attacking. The Hulk was growling as well, keeping his female close beside him as they watched Thor take Loki and led him away from their midst.

Tony sighed heavily as he looked at Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye. "So, who's up for some shawarma?"

Their reactions were less than pleasing but Tony's hazel eyes were drawn to the sight of the feral couple behind them. Cin had leapt up into the Hulk's arms, her long limbs wrapping about his massive neck and waist. She was crooning to him, rubbing against him, her urges quite apparent. The Hulk was responding in kind, his massive green hands holding her by her backside, his rumbles of pleasure echoing off the walls.

Goodness, these two would wreck his tower more than the Chitauri already had.

"Hey, Big Guy," cried Tony, catching the Hulk's attention. "I'm glad you found your girl but please... Don't do it near my stuff."

That familiar line, from what had seemed to be from another life time, had caught with the Hulk and his smile was telling. Oh no, he wouldn't do it near Tony's stuff. This place was too breakable. He had a better place in mind to claim his female...

The others were surprised when the Hulk had taken Cin in his arms and ran off, leaping from the balcony and landing a good distance away to another building. He then continued in leaping great distances, scaling large buildings until he had to leap from suburban wooded area to less suburban wooded area. Until, finally, they had reached a mountain range, surrounded by woods, and no human civilization in sight...

Perfect...


	25. He Remembered This

_Can you see the flame_

_That burns inside my body_

_Every time you are here_

_Cause you're the one I dream of_

_Every day and night..._

**My Passion** – Akcent

-o-

Chapter 25: He Remembered This

_Bella Coola – British Columbia_

He remembered this place after the fight in Harlem over a year prior.

It was where the Little Guy had brought them in an attempt for him to manage the rage. It worked to a certain extent. Now, he was so very glad that he remembered...

The Little Guy's memories were fuzzy whenever the Hulk tried to recall things from him. There were flashes at best, things that were brought on by strong emotions. Betty had been one of them, his first love. Her father, General Ross, was another, his first true cause of anger. Until recently he couldn't recall much whenever the Little Guy was dominate. That was until Ana had shown up.

Everything about her had brought out such strong emotions in the Little Guy that the Hulk could recall much of their time together. The Little Guy loved Ana. Now, it was his turn to love his female. His fiery one... The side of Ana that truly belonged to him. To find her alive in that battlefield... For a moment the Little Guy had almost emerged, the pulse of desperation and the passionate love and relief almost overwhelming the Hulk.

His fiery one had felt the same desperation as, for a split second, her calm side had taken over, smothering his face with kisses before kissing his lips. The Hulk had never been kissed. Oh, he could recall that moment with Betty in that hotel room once upon a time, when the Little Guy had almost given in. He recalled that the Little Guy had liked it a lot. Then there was Ana, who had given the Little Guy what he so desperately needed. That memory was strongest of them all and the Hulk knew that there was pleasure involved. A lot of pleasure. Then there was the cargo bay... Oh that memory was delicious. He had almost gotten to taste her for himself. Almost but not quite.

Having a memory of such a thing was _very_ different from experiencing it yourself.

His fiery one was desperate for him the moment he had finally come to a stop in the middle of a dense forest. He looked around the familiar area, knowing that the cabin was close. There was path that led to it. He knew that their other selves would need it once everything had calmed down. Now, the weather was the least thing on his mind.

He turned his attention to his woman and grumbled with anticipation, feeling her hot body brushing against his, the wonderful apex of her legs was already moist. She was nipping at his neck and sucking on the green skin, rubbing against his prominent arousal. She had been doing that since they left that tower. It took everything the Hulk had not to claim her right there on the spot. This was a first for him. To actually experience such a primal pleasure was something he had always wanted to do. The Little Guy had gotten to in the past and then again thrice with Ana. He wanted it for himself so badly...

" _Hu...lk..._ " she growled to him, that name that had been plastered on him from day one. Hearing it coming from her sweet little mouth just made it sound so feral and primal and _right._

She abandoned his neck and started sucking his lips, those hot lips of hers drawing them in, her even hotter tongue running along the skin with her desperate moans. The pleasure that had arisen from such a simple action hit straight to the groin and his growl of surprise rumbled in his massive chest. He _really_ liked kissing.

The moment she had again rubbed up against his arousal, the feel of that promising heat running up and down against the cloth of his tattered pants, his hips automatically bucked in response. It was a natural enough reaction but one that caught him off guard. It was different having flashes of such a thing but to _feel_ it...

That was when her purring started up, a gentle vibration within her torso that emerged from her throat. His arousal gave a painful throb in response. Oh, he loved it when she purred for him like that. He started mimicking her kissing, trying to elicit the same response from her that he had given. Her little croon of delight sent another painful throb and he quickly lifted his woman, aiming to get those scorched jeans off of her...

That was when her purring stopped and she suddenly leapt out of his arms.

Confusion touched his passion drunk mind and he looked down at his hands, now devoid of his female, before glancing around. An urgency touched him.

_Oh no, not when they had been so damn close..._

He continued looking around before a croon caught his attention and he glanced up, catching sight of her perched on the branch of tree. She was looking at him and tilted her head to the side, her glowing eyes studying him with a look of amusement.

He looked around her, making sure there was no one else around, before he growled at her, urging her to come back to him. She didn't move. She simply smiled at him, her pronounced canines giving that smile a feral quality. He huffed in annoyance before he took a step back and leapt up to get to her. She immediately jumped away to the next tree, the result was the Hulk knocking down the tree she had just been in. He landed on the forest floor with a ground shaking thud and glanced up his woman, her growling chuckles an indication that she knew exactly what she was doing.

He leapt after again, trying to grab her, but she was much quicker than him and a few trees were knocked over in the process. The Hulk finally had enough and threw a massive fist against the tree she was currently on. It was knocked over with little trouble but again she leapt away. This time she landed several hundred yards from him on the ground and the smile on her face was telling as she slowly took a step back and then another...

_Come get me..._

The Hulk stood dumbfounded for a moment as he stared at her and then understanding replaced it, the smile that appeared looking very wicked indeed. His woman wanted to play.

_Oh, hell yes..._

The moment she saw his smile, she was gone in a heartbeat, running through the trees. He let out a bellowing roar and chased after her, his heart pumping with anticipation and excitement. Oh, he liked this game a lot. Though he was stronger, she was faster on her feet and was already a good distance ahead of him. He caught glimpses of her, her growling laughter taunting him.

He crashed to a stop in a clearing, looking around at the trees as he focused on the sounds of her. He could make out the sound of her clawed feet thumping against the dead vegetation on the ground, muffling the sound but not completely. He measured the distance between himself and her thumping feet before he crouched down and took a huge leap. He sailed over the trees and landed down with a crash right in front of her, knocking over more trees in the process.

She had skid to a stop in surprise at the sight of him and his smile was one of triumph.

_Gotcha._

She let out a grumble in laughter just as he ran forward to grab her. She leapt out of the way of his grasp and, with an eruption of flames from her feet, propelled herself forward into the air. She disappeared from sight, but he could hear her running footsteps from several hundred yards to the west of him, heading toward the mountain range. He started to laugh, enjoying himself immensely, and ran after her. He truly loved his fiery one. She knew how to have fun.

It went on that way for some time. Just as he was close to catching her, she'd slip his grasp. Their chase continued up into the mountain range, their cat and mouse game finally ended when he reached to grab her ankle just as she was about to jump from him. He slammed her up against a jagged rock wall and threw himself against her, caging her within his large arms. He growled at her, his green eyes showing victory.

"Mine," he rumbled to her, his hardening arousal pressing against her thighs.

She crooned to him and growled in response, her glowing eyes showing satisfaction. " _Yours,_ ” she growled in agreement, her clawed hands digging into the rock behind her. " _Al... ways..._ "

_Damn right._

With a tearing of fabric that had little chance, the Hulk was free and that sweet promise of pleasure was his for the taking. He spread her legs wide as he pressed the tip of his thick, throbbing member right against her moist slit. She was even hotter there than the rest of her body...

With swallow against the tightness in his throat, he thrust up into her and the sudden feel of hot, tight wetness surrounding him caught him completely off guard. A stuttered grumble escaped him as his green eyes grew slightly wide, the croon of satisfaction from his woman at the feel of him fully within her making his hips buck up against her.

He had no idea it would feel like this.

A faint memory of such a pleasure held no candle to the real thing.

The moment he withdrew from her, the stuttered grumbled turned into a broken growl of shock, the pure feeling of pleasure emerging from such a movement unlike anything he could recall. Oh, this felt really, _really_ , good. No wonder the Little Guy's memories were so strong when he did this with Ana.

Her crooning turned into a gasp of pleasured surprise the moment he slammed back into her, the force of it making the mountain wall behind her crack beneath her. The gasp of her pleasure made his hips automatically buck in response, sharp and deep, and she cried out. His green eyes grew alight with understanding. Oh, _now_ he remembered. Ana loved it when the Little Guy thrust like that.

Angling himself just right, he braced her hips and thrust sharply and deeply within her hot moist slit. Her response was a cry of pleasure, the tightening of her walls around his hardness, and her claws raking down across his shoulders. The sudden feel of pain mixing with the pleasure of thrusting in her tore a strangled growl of surprise, his hips slamming against her, his member pounding up within her.

Oh, he _liked_ that.

He did it again, thrusting sharply and deeply up into her, the sound of her gasping cries and the raking of her claws against his green skin, started building a knot of pleasure within the pit of his lower abdomen.

"Fe-el... go-od," he said in a broken growl as the pleasure starting tightening, wounding up inside of him with every powerful thrust into her. The rock behind her was cracking more and more from the force of each thrust, pieces of rocks flying around. The pleasure was creating a haze in his mind, everything was focused on every single thrust that gave such a powerful force of pleasure.

Her breaths were in shuddering cries and he could feel her hot moist walls fluttering around him, the promise of something very good to come. He took hold of her and pulled her away from the wall, moving her quickly to the ground. He withdrew from her, ignoring her protesting growls, as he turned her around so that she was on all fours.

"Mine!" He roared as he lifted her hips up and pressed his hand down on her back, forcing her upper torso to the ground. Without warning, he took hold of her hips and thrust down deeply into her, the hot wetness suddenly tighter than before. His roar had broken into a strangled gasp pleasure, her own growl cutting off into a cry of relief. She lowered her head to the ground and dug her claws into the rock, bracing herself against the powerful thrusts he gave.

He liked this submissive position _a lot_. It felt even better than ever. The knot in his lower ab was tightening quicker, his breath coming in strangled growls and deep moans. A sudden thought emerged from somewhere deep inside him, a random piece of knowledge that was sure to get his woman over the edge quicker than anything. It had the feeling of the Little Guy written all over it.

Not hesitating, he reached around to where they were joined and rubbed a broad finger against the very edge of where he was sliding in and out of her at a faster pace. It took just a few simple strokes against a little swollen nub he could feel within her folds and the sudden tension that gripped her body threw him off his rhythm.

She threw her head and let out a piecing cry of release, the walls that surrounded his hardness tightening around him. The sudden feel of wet warmth surrounded him as he pulled out, the warmth growing hotter by the moment as her back arched and her muscles spasmed and twitched.

_Oh, whatever she was feeling, he hoped he would get to-_

The shock of heat that surrounded him caught him off guard and he thrust into her one last time, his eyes growing wide as a broken roar of shocked elation escaped him, the tightening knot in the pit of his lower ab suddenly exploding. Pleasure surged through his body and struck every single nerve ending in him. The pulsing release as he came into her was like nothing he had ever experienced.

The pleasure was so good that a haze fell over him and his trembling legs gave out, his hips still thrusting into her as he gave every last ounce of himself to her. She had collapsed beneath his weight but didn't look as if she was about to complain. Her heaving breaths, and the dumb struck look on her face, meant he had fucked her and fucked her _good_.

The Hulk's own breaths were heavy as his first climax finally subsided to a pleasing feeling of languid relief. He tried to gather his thoughts as he glanced down at his woman and carefully lifted himself from her, pulling her up with him. He wrapped his arms around her and stared her down at her.

She was still breathing heavily but the smile she gave him was absolutely brilliant.

" _A... gain..._ " she growled to him, stilled joined with him. She started moving her hips against him, bringing him to attention right away. He took in another breath, his green eyes studying her, before his smile emerged, looking very wicked indeed.

_Oh, HELL yes..._


	26. It Was So Warm Around Her

_You see through_

_Right to the heart of me_

_You break through my walls_

_With the strength of your love_

_I never knew love_

_Like I've known it with you..._

**I Have Nothing** – Whitney Houston

-o-

Chapter 26: It Was So Warm Around Her

It was so warm around her and it surrounded her in a protective cocoon.

Ana stirred lightly as the tears fell from her eyes, the wonderful dreams she had been having now fading away. They were always of her mate, of the one man she fell in love with.

_Bruce..._

She took in a shuddering breath as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't want to wake up.

Her dreams had been so vivid... So real...

She called his name, wanting him, but knowing he was gone.

The warmth that surrounded her stirred and she felt a shuddering beneath her. Her eyes snapped open and she threw her head up, looking around in fright and surprise.

Her brown eyes caught sight of larger green ones and the smile that greeted her was unlike anything she had seen before. The large hand that had been holding her protectively now rubbed soothingly against her back and gently pressed her closer against a massive chest.

"A... na..." growled the Hulk, the look on his face of one of languid relaxation and smug satisfaction.

She swallowed as she looked around her, catching sight of the sun setting, toppled trees, gouged earth, and a _hell_ of a lot of evidence that her other self had been enjoying time with her mate. That and the fact that she was very, _very_ , sore... But not in any way that meant a bad thing. She swallowed again, trying to fight back the tears as she looked at the Hulk, who was studying her with a peculiar look in his green eyes.

"Hulk," she said, her accented voice dazed and confused. " _Mon dieu..._ You... You're..." She couldn't finish, the tears were already spilling down her cheeks. He took her in his large hands and picked her up, bringing her close to his face.

"A... na..." he growled and gently rubbed his forehead against hers. "Sa-afe... Mi-issed you..." He then pressed his warm lips upon her forehead and settled her back down on his chest. "Lo-ove..." He growled and pressed her against his chest, close against his heart. "Lo-ove..."

Ana couldn't respond at first. She was crying too much as she rubbed her cheek against his chest, hearing his strong heartbeat. He was _alive_. He was _safe_. Oh, thank the heavens. Thank every power on Earth... She took in a shuddering breath as she pressed a kiss against his chest and looked up at him. "I love you. Bruce... Hulk... I love you. All of you."

They were the right words to say. His smile was _beautiful._ He took in a breath and got to his feet in a tired manner as he carefully carried her in one hand. "Ho-ome..." he growled before letting out a yawn.

It was then she realized that he, and she, were very much naked...

_Oh, fuck it._

"Home," he growled again, carrying her carefully past downed trees and even more gouged earth.

_Holy shit... How many times had they...?_

Oh... Better not think about it. She was too sore and too tired to care...

-o-

The Hulk had taken her to a cabin and set her gently on her feet, running a gentle finger against her copper brown curls. The rumble in his chest was one of satisfaction and deep contentment.

"Lo-ove," he growled again, his deep green eyes filled with emotion. "Lo-ove..." He tucked a large finger beneath her chin and gently pushed it up so he could see her brown eyes. "A... na... You... Lo-ove... Me?"

She let out a laugh as she took his large finger in her small hands and nipped it gently between her very human teeth. "I _love_ you," she said and kissed where she had bitten him. "I love _all_ of you..."

The Hulk let loose a very happy growl and carefully took her in his hands, pulling her up and gently pressing a kiss upon her forehead. "Mine," he whispered and kissed her again. "Lo-ove... you... All... you..." He gently nuzzled her and, with a happy and tired sigh, set her back on her feet. "Clothes... Home..." he grumbled, letting out another tired yawn.

Ana giggled and nodded, apparently her other self had _really_ tired him out. Oh, what the hell, he was _alive_! She didn't blame her other self for a moment. She was just glad that her love was alive...

With a happy sigh, she entered the cabin, which looked as if it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. However, the Hulk took her here so, she made due with what she could find. She found plenty of stretchy pants, (she tried not to laugh too much at that) and an array of shirts made for cold weather. She slipped on a pair of black pants, tying a string around to keep them secure, and donned a flannel shirt that was too large and too long. Oh well, it was warm.

She found another pair of black stretchy pants and went outside to her mate, holding them out to him. "Will this work?" she asked, catching his attention from where he had been about to doze. He grunted an assent and gently took them from her. Of course, his feet were too big for the pants, tearing the legs as he pulled them up. But it covered. Good enough.

He took her in his arms and grumbled two final words to her.

"Lo-ove... You..."

"Love you," she whispered to him.

He heard and his smile was one of deep satisfaction and contentment. Oh yes, he had heard. And he was _very_ happy.

-o-

Tony Stark was caught by surprise the moment something large had crashed through a window of his personal apartments. It was enough that most of the windows had been smashed, he didn't need _another_ one. "What the hell!"

His protests were cut off the moment he caught sight of a familiar, large green form standing in the room. The Hulk set down the small female in his arms before he plopped himself down with a shuddering thud to the floor, looking very tired but _very_ happy.

"Tony!" Ana's accented voice was a surprise as he was suddenly assailed by a small woman and wrapped tightly in a heartfelt embrace. She had kissed him several times on the cheek and nearly choked him as her embrace tightened. He coughed but tried not to laugh as he hugged her in return.

"Hey, Mrs. Rage Monster! Glad to see you're aliv- oof!"

His comment was cut off as her embrace tightened even further before his head was pulled down and a warm kiss pressed against his temple. "I missed you too, my brother," she said in a low growl.

Warmth touched his heart, and he tried not to let it show, though his hold on her tightened in response and he buried his face against her curls. He swallowed back the tightness in his throat and relished in the feel of a hug from someone who considered him family.

"All right then," he said, clearing this throat as he released her, rubbing his eye in a suspicious way. He glanced over at the sight of the Hulk and suddenly started to laugh. His laughter echoed through the room and he took hold of Ana, pulling her close against him. "What the _hell_ did you do to him?"

Ana looked at her mate tried not to let the satisfaction show on her face. "I didn't _do_ anything... That was all _her!_ "

"Ah hah, _Cin_! You little slut!"

The snarl he got in response and the heavy punch was evident enough that Ana's other self had heard what her brother had said. He winced in response but it didn't stop the laughter.

" _C'est quoi ce bordel!_ " said Ana but her smile was hard to erase. "You called me a sin and a slut!"

"Not sin," said Tony, pulling Ana into a hug, not even acknowledging the slut comment. " _Cin_. Short for Incinerate. It's what you do after all. Your other self gives nightmares, blows shit up, and makes Hulks cum so good, they fall asleep. A good Avenger name! Cin."

"You're a dick," said Ana but she was laughing too much at the truth of it.

The Hulk had fallen asleep right in the middle of what used to be Tony's living room. He wasn't going to awaken anytime soon...

-o-

_Calm relief..._

_Relaxation..._

_Warmth.._..

_Love..._

Bruce felt all of this and the moment he had awakened it shattered like the wonderful dream it was.

Oh god, he didn't want this.

He didn't want reality.

He wanted Ana.

Her warm embrace, her soft croons, her whispered words of love...

He wanted his dream back.

He wanted her _back._

He swallowed against the dryness in his throat and the tears started. He wanted his woman. The one who was right for him. For every part of him. He wanted her back...

God, if there was ever low point in his life... Now would be it.

He wanted his Ana.

He tried to fight back the tears, he swallowed convulsively as he reluctantly opened his eyes. The streaming warmth escaped his eyes and he closed them right away, the tightness in his chest aching him.

_Why he couldn't he fall back to sleep? She was there! He wanted her so badly..._

"Hey, Big Guy, what are the waterworks for?"

A familiar voice called him from his dream world and the anger rose in him, though there was nothing else that followed. Just a regular human reaction.

_Huh... That was new..._

He swallowed again and opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a couch in the middle of a trashed high-rise loft. It looked as if it had seen better days. His soft brown eyes glanced around and caught sight of the familiar form of Tony Stark.

"Tony?"

"The one and only," said the playboy in response, though the look on his face was worried. "Are you ok?"

Bruce frowned, wondering if his friend hadn't heard the news. "No... Ana's-"

"Tony, is Bruce awake?"

 _That voice.._.

Bruce immediately sat up from the couch and pulled on the overstretched black pants he wore. His soft brown eyes caught sight of the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. "Ana..."

She was walking into the room, dressed in a familiar flannel shirt that was much too big for her and a pair of black, stretchy pants that were tied tightly around her hips, though they still sagged. Her brown eyes caught sight of him and they sparkled with joy. "Bruce! You're awake! I thought you would sleep all day!"

He didn't respond.

He simply got to his trembling feet and staggered toward her. He grasped her face in his hands and kissed her as if there was no tomorrow. " _Never_ again," he growled as he pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers. "We can't be apart. I _need_ you."

"I'm here," said Ana, reaching up to grasp his hands in her own. "I'm here... I love you. I won't leave you. I promise."

"Love you," he whispered in response, an echo of his dream. He swallowed tightly as he rubbed his forehead against hers. "You're mine. Always."

"Always," agreed Ana, her smile heartfelt. "You're mine..."

"Always," he whispered before pressing a kiss against her lips...

"Guys! Not near my stuff!"

-o-

"OK, why are we here again?"

"I told you: This shawarma joint would be here and I wanted to try it. Did you think the Avengers team would go eat shawarma without the whole team present?"

"I hate you."

"Nah, you love me. Cin called me brother. That means I get special privileges."

"No, it just means you're an asshole that she and I consider as family. It still doesn't change the fact that you're an asshole."

"To-MAY-toe, to-MAH-toe," said Tony, waving off Ana's complaints, much to the chuckles of Natasha and Thor.

Bruce simply tightened his hold around her waist and pressed a kiss against her temple. "It'll be fine. You've been around people before."

"Not with you," she said, her nervousness quite apparent. With Bruce nearby, after all that had happened, she found it harder to control her other self. The one the others called Cin... Cin really wanted her mate again. It hadn't even been twelve hours yet since their last encounter.

Bruce could sense the tension and he nuzzled the back of her neck, nipping it gently, before he whispered, "I feel it... Later. I promise you later. We'll get through this and I'll make you all mine all over again."

Ana took in a deep breath, her voice now taking on a tone that was close to a whine. "You're _not_ helping," she said, loud enough for the others to hear.

This time Tony, Thor and Natasha started laughing outright, especially when Bruce had squeezed Ana's ass and nipped the back of her neck again.

_Oh god, what did she do to this man..._

"OK, I really need to hear this story," said Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, who was watching the scene between the couple with amusement. With all that had happened to him, he had missed out on the great romance between the two raging monsters.

"Oh, you'll love this," said Tony, as he led the way into the decimated shawarma shop, bearing a tattered OPEN sign in the window. "It all started in a little place known as Stuttgart. It was evening and a monster like no other craved to fight! To defend the honor of her dear old mother..."

Ana groaned in annoyance and reached out to try to push the playboy but Bruce had stopped her. "I want to listen," he whispered to her and held her closer. "This might be funny hearing it from the others."

"It'll be embarrassing," said Ana, a bit of a pout appearing.

"Like when we crushed that crate that housed SHIELD weapons designed for the cube and Rogers found it?"

Bruce had said this loud enough for the others to hear and Captain America was quick to turn his gaze to the couple. "Wait... That was you two? How in the world did you-"

"Tony! Talk! Now!" cried Ana, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Thor and Natasha were now giving full belly laughs, knowing full well how those two had managed to crush metal crates...

~End of Part 1~


	27. Monster  Mash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In between parts of this story, I will do an intermission. Some have nothing to do with the story at all and some do. This one was a request from a reader for a Halloween themed scene when I first published this fic. I always liked it so I am keeping it in as part of the story. Thanks for reading!

_I was working in the lab late one night_

_When my eyes beheld an eerie sight_

_For my monster from his slab began to rise_

_And suddenly to my surprise..._

**Monster Mash** – Bobby Pickett

-o-

Chapter 27: Monster Mash

~Intermission~

"You have to come to my party."

"I said no. I'm not going."

"Big Guy, you live here now. At some point you're going to have to get change of clothes. Now, I understand that going off to that cabin of yours to have wild sex with your girlfriend is important and hell, I don't blame you... But damn it, we need to have this party and Ana's supposed to help with the barbeque! Everybody's going to be there and I have a whole pig I need roasted!"

Bruce sighed heavily as he pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, the deep blush quite evident on his cheeks. "Tony, you're not asking _me_ to come. You're asking the Other Guy..."

Tony was smiling as he leaned against the desk that Bruce was currently sitting at. They were in one of the extensive labs in Stark Tower and Bruce had been working on a project with the arc reactor. Until his friend came in and started hassling him about the Halloween party he had planned for that night.

"Yeah, so?"

Bruce dropped his hand and frowned at Tony, his brown eyes glaring at the genius playboy. "You're asking the Other Guy... to come to a party... as the Jolly Green Giant..."

"And?"

The good doctor stared blankly at Tony and let out a huff of laughter. "There is _nothing_ jolly about the Other Guy. You know that! He'll destroy the place."

"Not if Ana's there," Tony countered as he folded his arms across his chest. "You know he'll do anything for her."

The blush deepened in Bruce's cheeks as he swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Um... no. He'll do anything _to_ her, not _for_ her. I don't think you'd want us so close to everyone else."

"Bruce, if it gets that bad just take her and get to your cabin." Tony was laughing by this time. He loved it when he made the good doctor uncomfortable. Especially when it came to his sex life.

"I'm not going."

"Well too bad. Pepper says Ana's coming and they've already got the costumes."

"What?"

Tony walked off, ignoring Bruce's calls to him as he kept chuckling. He couldn't wait. This was going to be hilarious...

-o-

The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist was laughing his ass off that night.

Not only had Ana convinced her mate to come out and play, she had convinced him to wear the Jolly Green Giant costume. It was made even funnier because she came in dressed as a female Sprout. A very skimpy version that thankfully had a green leotard suit to cover her and match her mate's skin tone.

OK, Tony had to admit it was funny as hell the moment the Jolly Giant had taken Sprout in his hands and set her firmly on his shoulder, glaring at the other males in the room.

Tony nearly lost it when he saw Clint Barton was there dressed as Legolas from _Lord of the Rings_ , with full blown blonde wig and latex pointy ears. He had a bow and arrow ready, his own authentic set that worked well with the costume. Huh, Tony wondered if Hawkeye remembered that comment...

He was there with Natasha, who had come dressed looking like a dominatrix for some BDSM club...

…

Yeah, not surprising.

Thor had shown up as well and he was... dressed as Thor. The guy had very little understanding of Earth holidays...

Pepper was schmoozing the crowd dressed as a sexy version of Dorothy from the _Wizard of Oz._ She was complimenting Tony, who had come dressed as the Tin Man. Hey, it was funny.

Steve Rogers came dressed as a cowboy... He couldn't think of anything original and frankly, all the outfits he had seen the women wearing for Halloween out in the street today... Whoa... Poor guy.

Director Nick Fury was there dressed as himself, another man with no sense of humor.

The next person was Agent Phil Coulson who came dressed... as Captain America.

OK, Tony just about died laughing at the sight of that.

Once the whole group had gotten together, and the rest of the invited guests arrived, the music started and all hell broke loose.

The Jolly Green Giant was growling at every male that stepped to close to him or his woman. He was standing guard by the glass doors that led to the balcony that overlooked Midtown. Ana was showing Pepper exactly how she roasted a whole pig her way out on the balcony and caused a minor explosion when someone didn't tell her it was a kerosene grill as opposed to charcoal.

Needless to say, she had little left of her costume, though she was unharmed of course.

She was actually laughing her ass off when she caught sight of the singed dress of Pepper, who still looked in shock. It was only her laughter that kept the Green Giant at peace. In fact, he had a familiar glazed look in his eyes as he watched her.

_Oh boy..._

Without warning, the Jolly Green Giant had scooped up his scorched female Sprout, smashing through a patio window, and disappeared into the night.

O...K...

Apparently, Bruce remembered that little detail.

Now he owed Tony another new window...

The billionaire wondered if he should have had this party out on the roof instead...

"Are they always like that?" Clint had asked, a faint blush on his cheeks as he stared at the smashed area of glass and broken tile and bent patio door frame.

" _Oh_ yeah," said Tony, reaching up to straighten out his tin hat. "Happens about once a week. They have their own version of the Monster Mash." He clapped his hands as he turned to the crowd, a bright smile appearing on his face. "So, who's hungry?" He looked at the blackened carcass of the pig behind him, which still had a few flames dancing about. Well, he did expect her to be a hit at barbeques...

"Actually... Who's up for shawarma?"

"Oh, aye!" cried Thor, raising his hammer as he smiled brightly.

"I'll place the order," said Natasha as she pulled out her phone from between her breasts.

Clint was laughing.

"I'll get the beer," said Pepper, walking off in her singed costume.

Actually... that wasn't a bad idea.

Tony smiled as he followed his Dorothy off into the kitchens...

"Things are never normal around here, are they?" Phil Coulson asked after a few moments, looking at his idol, his own Captain America shield displayed proudly on his arm.

Steve Rogers looked at his number one fan and had to laugh. "This is Stark Tower... When is anything normal?"

"This music," said Thor as listened to a rendition of the Monster Mash playing on the surround sound. He was quiet a moment before he smiled. "I like it. Does anyone here know how to mash a monster? I would like to see how the dance is done!"

"Oh, I do!" cried Pepper as she ran into the room, having brought the beer and looking particularly disheveled. Tony was following after her and looking happier. She thrust the beer into Tony's arms and ran toward the middle of the room, taking Thor by the hand. "Come on!"

...

OK... Well. At least everyone was having fun.

Heh, especially the Jolly Green Giant...


	28. Part 2: He Could Never Get Enough

_When I think of how you saved me_

_I go crazy_

_You're all I can't resist_

_And I need to tell you_

_The first time I held you_

_I knew_

_You are the love of my life..._

**Love of My Life** – Sammy Kershaw

-o-

~Part 2~

Chapter 28: He Could Never Get Enough

He could never get enough of waking up to the feel of her tangled around him.

It was like he had awoken to a completely different life in a completely different universe.

One in which he almost felt normal. He had a place he actually could do legitimate work and a woman he absolutely adored. He was afraid that one day he would wake up and find himself back in his little dingy, one room hovel in Kolkata. He would be alone, in the dark, afraid of what the day might bring that had the potential to set him off. He was afraid this was all some beautiful dream...

The moment he heard her soft snores and gentle growls, feeling her arms tightening around him, her gentle calls of his name and the Other Guy's, her gentle croons of pleasure and her whimpers as she snuggled against him... Bruce fell in love all over again and he finally believed this was all real.

Ana, the one woman who complimented all sides of him, the one he had no fear of ever hurting with the Other Guy, was lying beside him and talking in her sleep. She always said the same thing, her protective side shining through since she was quite keen in making sure they remained tangled while in bed.

" _Mine... Always... Love... all of you..._ "

He would always hear this and his fear would always fade. It never failed. He fell in deeper in love and became more exuberant in his day. The woman he loved, the one he craved each night, loved him in return. Her other self, her own raging monster, saw the Other Guy as her mate. The Other Guy was happy to be so. He couldn't get enough of their primal lovemaking and was keen to make Bruce aware of it whenever his woman was near.

And Cin, Ana's primal self, was all too eager to oblige.

Sure, they had damaged quite a bit of the property in Stark Tower the first month they stayed there.

And Tony had the whole floor rebuilt, using the same material that SHIELD had used to make that glass prison, to keep them from doing it again...

But it had been worth it.

Bruce couldn't remember a time when he had ever been happier or more satisfied since the accident that brought the Other Guy out. SHIELD had, inadvertently, brought to him the one person out of nearly seven billion on Earth that was compatible for the whole of him. She was kind, sweet, funny, smart in her own way and, damn it all, he was always attracted to her. No matter _which_ side of her emerged.

The fact that she found the Other Guy so irresistible, his own quiet self so endearing and kind... She was always quite keen in showing her love for him. Be it in the biblical sense or not. It had gotten so bad after the Chitauri attack that Tony had reserved one floor of the R&D labs specifically to them so that way he wouldn't have to worry about them doing it near his stuff.

The man could be quite anal about his stuff actually...

"Bruce," her sweet voice had whispered his name then and a soft purr had emerged.

His body immediately responded to her subconscious call to him and he took in a much-needed breath. Love filled his heart, tightened in his chest, and made him thank every deity in existence. He could never get enough of her... Damn it. When their lovemaking was calm, it was everything he loved. When it was primal... He swallowed at the thought of it.

It was everything he needed.

He had been blessed to find a best friend, a stable home, a team he could be a part of, and a woman who could stay by his side, no matter which side it was.

"Bruce," she called to him again, this time stirring in against him and nuzzling his neck.

His arousal was becoming prominent as he took Ana in his arms, already falling into that wonderful haze at the thought of their lovemaking to come. The urgent thrust of breasts against his chest immediately stopped all further thought.

 _Oh, hell yes,_ was Bruce's last thought as he growled response to her urgency and took her without another word.

When it was primal... _God_ , it was everything he needed _and_ loved.

-o-

Three months after the attack from the Chitauri Amy, Midtown was beginning to show signs of rebuilding itself.

Stark Tower was one of the many buildings showing signs of reconstruction except for one little detail. Tony Stark had not fixed the large sign that had identified the tower belonging to Stark Industries. He had left the single A that had survived the battle alone. He didn't state his reasons but those closest to him had a hunch.

Within the tower, the top floors that had been damaged by the confrontations between the Avengers and Loki were coming along rather nicely. On one particular floor, that was several below the top ten of the R&D labs, was the personal apartments of one Dr. Bruce Banner. It had been built specifically for his needs for those many, _many,_ times his girlfriend came to visit. Even one of the labs had been made for his specifications in case of... well just in case.

Bruce had to admit, Tony was very accommodating considering how much damage he and Ana had done in the past. He supposed that since the both of them were extremely brilliant men, Tony was able to "talk shop" with having Bruce close by. If it meant having Ana there with them, even better. Tony could never get enough of bothering the woman he considered his baby sister.

Bruce had to admit it was funny seeing the two of them when they had gotten into one of their many arguments. It was a never-ending thing between them, but it seemed that it was something they both needed. Tony had, like Bruce, grown up a single child knowing little of what it was like to have a family. Ana had better experience with having her mother and aunt for the last thirteen years, but she never had brothers or sisters to call her own aside from her older brother from a life gone by. Theirs was a relationship that brought random bursts of explosions, cursing, name calling and finally, Ana leaving the room in a huff after she had damaged some priceless something or other of Tony's.

Normally, she could take Tony in stride but now that she was around him a lot more, they were acting more like children. They seemed to be making up for something that both of them craved. A feeling of a siblings. Bruce could only laugh and shake his head...

-o-

Virginia "Pepper" Potts, the lovely redheaded girlfriend of Tony Stark and CEO for the company had taken the sudden arrival of Bruce and Ana in stride. Apparently, she was quite used to Tony's random adventures. The fact that his most recent one had scared the living shit out of her, and to see that he was alive and well, made her quite open to the two raging monsters that had watched his back where she couldn't.

Ana had actually taken a shine to Pepper the moment they met. To meet a woman close to her own age that she could be open with who and what she was... It made a hell of a difference in life.

Ana's mom, Sido, and her aunt, Jenn had been the only women she had known in her life that cared for her. Yann, Sido's bodyguard, was like a father figure. The other employees that worked round the clock to maintain Ana's anonymity always had that guarded fear of getting her angry and setting her off. So, there were no friends to be made there. Meeting Tony, Bruce and Pepper had opened up a new world for her. It was a wonder why she hadn't moved into the tower with Bruce yet.

An excellent question that Tony brought up many a time over the last three months. After all, Ana spent enough nights there and, between Bruce and her, had done enough damage to the tower that she owed quite a bit in costs.

Actually... that was a lie.

Sido paid for the repairs right away but Tony liked to guilt his new baby sister. He had thought of it again that morning after the telltale signs of shuddering walls, floors and ceilings and- despite sound proofing Bruce's apartments- muffled roars had awoken him and Pepper up.

"Oh goodness, those two are like rabbits," said Pepper, as she plopped her head back on Tony's chest with a giggle. "They can never enough of each other."

Tony chuckled at that as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "Pep, you gotta remember. This is a man who's gone without sex for a number of years. He found the one woman he could finally unleash himself on without fear. It's only been three months since they started. I can't blame him for making up for lost time."

Pepper outright laughed at that and slapped his chest. "I don't want to hear about Bruce's sex life at the moment. Believe it or not, it's none of our business."

The shuddering walls around them told a different story.

"Uhh... I think it's been made our business the moment I offered Bruce a place to stay. It's a wonder why Ana hasn't moved in yet..."

Pepper was silent at that, knowing the reason why Ana hadn't taken up on Tony's offer of moving in. There was quite a bit that could be said between two women when left alone a number of times.

Ana was afraid.

She was afraid of leaving her mother and aunt and of the unknown. This was as new to her as it was to Bruce. She didn't want to leave the comfort of the people she had known the last thirteen years just yet. Bruce didn't pressure her about it, that much she told Pepper. He was understanding and sweet.

She loved the man so much but she was torn between her loyalty to Mother and Aunt and her newly found Mate and Brother. The feral part of her wanted her pack together in one place. It was something Sido did not wish to do. Jenn was in a safe place in their native France, tied to an advanced computer system that if moved in any way could kill her.

Sido and Jenn had talked of it with Ana and they all agreed it was best to leave things as they were. It still made it difficult to be apart because Ana had finally found her family. She found Mother, Aunt, Brother and Mate. She wanted them all physically close together so she could feel at ease. It just couldn't be done at this time. So, Ana bounced between visiting her mother and aunt and visiting her brother and mate. It was a difficult situation because Ana was growing tired of moving around as she had done so many times in the past. She wanted a stable place to call home with the people who she called family. Stark Tower had that potential.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tony asked, reaching up to brush her red hair aside.

Pepper took in a breath and glanced up at her boyfriend. "I think we need to invest in another reactor," she said, her eyes slightly wary.

"Another reactor?" Tony moved slightly so he could get a better look at her, his hazel eyes filled with confusion.

"Like yours," said Pepper, reaching out to gently run her fingers over the glowing orb in his chest. "There's someone who needs it and could use it. If we can give that to her, she could be moved here to Manhattan. Then Ana won't be so torn. She could stay here with you and Bruce like she wants. Then everyone will be happier."

Silence followed this statement and then understanding filled his gaze. "Jenn..." he said, sitting up in their bed to look at her. "That's why Ana hasn't moved in?"

Pepper nodded, rather glad her boyfriend wasn't completely clueless to what was going on. This was his baby sister after all. He rather enjoyed having her nearby.

"Damn," he said, running a hand through his dark hair. "Why hasn't she said anything?"

Pepper gave him a look and that was all he needed to see before he gave a nod. "Oh... right. Um," he hesitated, his mind going a mile a minute as he thought over what he knew about Jenn's life support computer system and how an arc reactor could be applied. "Give me some time. I'll think of something." He threw off the blanket and got up from bed, moving over to a large desk on the other side of the room. "I still don't understand why they didn't tell me." He sat at the desk and opened a notebook and grabbed a pen. He started jotting down notes of everything he knew of Jenn.

Pepper sat up, holding the sheets against her bare breasts. "Tony, these are women who have been on their own for a number of years. It's something they felt they could handle. They probably didn't think of asking you for help."

"Bullshit," said Tony, already working on the sketching of an arc reactor that could be used in Jenn's life support system. "This is my little sister. If she wants her whole family here, they're going to be here."

She had to admit that was one of the sweetest things she had ever heard him say. She tried not to smile too much as Tony worked away. It seemed the idea that having a whole family around him was all the inspiration he needed...

The sudden banshee-like scream that echoed from several floors below, followed by a deeper roar, and a shuddering of walls and floors, set Pepper to laughing her ass off.

"You better get used to that," said Tony, his own smirk showing on his goateed lips as he continued to work. "We're going to be hearing that for _quite_ a while..."

Pepper could only choke before laughing even more.

She had no idea if she should be wary with all that's gone on or happy at the fact that Tony was completely ecstatic. He loved having those two near.

And when Tony was happy, Pepper was happier.


	29. It All Began Again

_This fire is growing_

_It's burning deep inside of me._

_Focused_

_Driven_

_Certain_

_The way it's got to be…_

**Determined** – Mudvayne

-o-

Chapter 29: It All Began Again

It all began again the moment the news footage of the Avengers team against the aliens reached international levels the first month since the battles had ended.

That much press coverage, that many people with devices that could capture video footage in that area, and the internet accessible to each and every one of them. The organization, one in which hid under the front of the _Brandt International Genetics & Pharmaceuticals Inc., _had worked diligently around the clock under the guidance of one Jennifer Dupont and Sidonie Brandt to manage all sightings of the one now known as Cin. Unfortunately, they could not contain such a flow this time around. They tried their hardest, even with such advanced technology at their disposal. Some things were just meant to go unleashed.

The moment Sido had taken her daughter to Midtown to find her mate, and to help the Avengers, they had known they were taking a big risk. However, with an ally like Stark Industries on their side, and the potential of the Avengers team with SHIELD backing, they had something they hadn't had before. A legitimate way of defending themselves and protecting Ana.

Now, all Sido and Jenn could do were to keep an eye out for the signs of the Life Foundation to make their move.

And they would too.

They weren't ones to give up easily.

-o-

"There! Pause it there!"

The computer monitor was showing news footage of the attack on Manhattan by the alien army three months before. The man behind the monitor, who was dressed in a pristine white lab coat and looking particularly nervous, tapped on the keyboard, pausing the shaky footage of what belonged to a smart phone. On display was an unfocused shot of a tall, lithe red-veined creature in the large arms of an even bigger, green skinned monstrosity. They had been fighting off the horde of aliens in Midtown and the footage had been paused right as the green one had been about to throw the female. Even to the untrained eye, one could see that the two monsters were behaving in a very familiar manner.

The large hulking thing was very protective of the female.

"That's it! That's her!" exclaimed another man, who was standing behind the man sitting behind the computer. He started laughing in exuberant way, one that made the man at the desk fidget in an uncomfortable manner. "After all this time, they've finally let something slip." He leaned over the man's shoulder, his glasses reflecting the light of the monitor. "Just look at her... After all of these years, she's grown magnificently. All that rage... That power..."

The man in the glasses paused as he focused his gaze on the green monster and frowned lightly. "But that thing... What is that with her?"

The man in the white coat swallowed nervously as he moved the cursor of the mouse to another window and pulled up a file, one showing a fight between that of it and another monstrosity in the middle of Harlem over a year prior. "Th-that is the Hulk. He's a monster carried by one Dr. Bruce Banner. You could say he is like project 01. He is only brought about if provoked into a rage. He disappeared after that fight with the... Abomination. That is what the U.S. Government calls the other creature."

"The Hulk..." The man in the glasses studied the unfocused shot with extreme interest. "Now, how did such a large specimen come across our darling little fireball..."

The man in the white coat could only swallow nervously. The man in glasses was apparently making him very uncomfortable. "I'm... not sure sir. They were fighting with several others against the alien army that attacked. I've searched what I could and found SHIELD has all their fingers wrapped tightly around them. They have all their current info on these people under tight security. I can't hack into their system without setting something off."

"Of course not, we wouldn't want to bring attention to ourselves now." The man in glasses didn't even look upset. "But, I'm sure if we keep sniffing around we can dig something else up." He continued to study the still frame before he ordered the other man to play the video again. It started up, this time with a female news anchor's voice coming through the speakers, commenting on the raging monsters. They split to another shot of the Harlem fight from the year before and back to the current footage. It was at that moment that the Hulk was seen nuzzling the neck of the red-veined female before hurling her at one of the large, floating monstrosities. This time subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen.

**_Mrs. Hulk?_ **

_Green monster from Harlem appears again with female by its side. Alien hordes decimated._

_Monsters or Heroes?_

"Pause it!" The man in glasses cried out, pointing to the moment the Hulk had nuzzled the female's neck. The man in the white coat did as he said and the unfocused frame was better than before despite quality. "Do you see it, Parsons? Do you see it!" He reached out to shake the man's shoulder in an excited grip. "There! Look at her face!"

The man in the white coat, named Parsons, cleared his throat and looked at the still shot. He really couldn't make out what he was expecting to see. His silence must have been telling because the man in glasses shook his shoulder again. "Look at her face! She's _mated_ to this thing..." He started laughing again, this time a triumphant laugh. "I cannot believe it! They had allowed her to become mated! Can you _imagine_ Parsons? The offspring that could come from the union of these two creatures... All that rage and power combined into one being! The _potential_ of harnessing an entire _army_ of such beings!"

"Um... Dr. Dunns," said Parsons to the man in the glasses. "How exactly would you think such a thing would be possible? They're both powerful creatures running free... We couldn't take them alone."

"No, that is true," said Dunns as he released the other man's shoulder. "However, I'm sure we are not the only ones who are interested in having such power." He stood up straight, the manic look now gone from his eyes. "This Hulk creature has to have its own interested parties. I say we track them down and work up a partnership. Don't you?"

Dr. Anthony Parsons didn't say anything to this. He simply swallowed and nodded. Not for the first time in the last twenty years of his employment with the Life Foundation, he was beginning to question the true motives of his employers. Protecting an underground fallout shelter with their super soldier army was understandable enough. But to go after the female again after she had decimated their forces the last time they had tried to acquire her...

Now, she wasn't alone and Dr. Parsons had a hunch that the man who was Dr. Bruce Banner was not one to mess with. He wouldn't be alone either.

Parsons swallowed and wondered just how badly this was all going to turn out for all of them in the end.

-o-

Elizabeth "Betty" Ross was nervous.

She could admit that.

She stood at the front doors of the expansive Stark Tower in Midtown Manhattan, watching the comings and goings of construction workers and various employees. She was a beautiful woman, with long dark hair that hung to the middle of her back. Her blue eyes were large and filled with anxiety. The moment she had seen the news footage a few months ago of the alien attack, and she had seen Bruce, her whole world had stopped. She hadn't seen him or heard from him going on almost a year. The last time had been when he had sent her mother's necklace back to her in the mail. The one she had pawned to finance their trip to New York.

Had it been over a year since then?

Goodness, it felt like another life.

It had taken her plenty of blackmailing and favors to get the time off from her job at Culver University to come here to Manhattan. After two months, she finally got the paid time off and couldn't believe she was finally here. Bruce was in there somewhere, she was sure of it. She had no idea why she needed to see him again. It was obvious he had wanted to break ties with her because of the Hulk. He didn't want to hurt her. That was probably it though. The fact that he loved her enough to let her go, to keep her safe...

She took in a breath as she adjusted the strap to her purse and into the lobby of the tower. She had to maneuver her way around the bustle of construction workers but she made it to the reception desk in one piece.

"Yes, can I help you?" greeted a very pretty and very bubbly woman behind the desk, her dyed honey blonde hair hung in neat curls around her face.

"Uh, yes," said Betty, adjusting her strap again as the nervousness kicked in. "I'm here to see Dr. Bruce Banner."

The smile had frozen for just a split second on the receptionist's face but Betty had caught it. The woman shook her head as she turned back to her computer and typed away at the keyboard. "I'm sorry ma'am but we do not have an employee by that name here. Was there anything else I can help you with today?"

Betty frowned at the receptionist. "No, thank you," she said before she turned and left the lobby. Once outside on the busy street, she glanced up at the tall tower before looking around on the sidewalk. She caught sight of construction workers making their way in and out of an alleyway. Resolve overtook her nervousness and she walked toward the alley, her steps quick and purposeful...


	30. She Was on a Mission

_Call me possessive_

_But every time I turn around_

_You're on my baby_

_But I'm his lady_

_Am I possessive_

_Just because I'm claiming what's mine?_

**Crazy Possessive** – Kaci

-o-

Chapter 30: She Was on a Mission

She was on a mission to get inside Stark Tower.

It took a bit of sly movements and some quick feet but thankfully Betty had made it from the alleyway and inside to the one of the garages without being seen. There were so many construction workers going in and out of the place, she was hardly noticed by anyone. She moved along the concrete walls, locating a stairwell that led up to the next floor. She felt her heart beating a mile a minute as she took in a breath. It was going to be a long climb but, if she managed to stay out of sight, she would make it past any security guards. Hopefully, the stairwell was a place that was hardly looked at.

Pulling the strap of her purse over her head for a more secure hold, she moved quickly to the heavy metal door that marked the garage and emergency fire exit. She pushed on the handle and readied herself for a long climb...

-o-

Bruce had the usual large smile on his face when he emerged from the elevator to Tony's personal apartments. There was still some construction going on here, but it wasn't going to stop him from sharing a breakfast with his best friend since they had started on the Helicarrier _._ He was holding onto Ana's hand, who was following behind him looking particularly tired. She let loose a yawn, confirming how tired she was.

"Bruce! Ana!" called out Pepper as she waved them to a long black table set up in the middle of all of the construction. Various dishes was set up on the table ranging from different styles of eggs to pancakes and waffles. Coffee pots were sitting on burners, still fresh and warm. "Breakfast is ready when you are," she said as she tried not to laugh too much at the sight of a very happy Bruce and a very tired girlfriend of his.

"Coffee... Need... Now," said Ana as she plopped herself down at one of the black chairs near the end of the table, reaching out to grab a steel coffee pot from a nearby warmer. Bruce had sat down next to her and pulled her chair close beside his before moving her legs up to set them on his lap. Ana served them both coffee as she glanced up at the red head and a faint blush touched her cheeks. "I hope we weren't too loud..."

"Nooo..." said Pepper, much too quickly. "You were _fine_. Didn't hear a peep."

"Sure did feel it though," said another voice from behind them and they turned to catch sight of Tony emerging from his office, a door that blended seamlessly with the surrounding wall. He was looking at one of his own personally made tablets, his fingers moving over certain files when he caught the grumbles of Ana. He smiled when he caught the word asshole among the grumbles and he tried not to laugh. He really did. He couldn't help it though. He loved annoying her.

He made his way to the table, walking past Bruce and Ana, before he reached out to ruffle her copper brown curls that were set in a neat braid. It immediately became tangled around his fingers, the silky curls coming undone from the braid and now resembling a bird's nest. A choking sound from Pepper could be heard and Bruce was smiling the moment Ana had taken Tony's hand in her own before bending it back.

"Ah, ah, ah!" hissed Tony as he moved down in the direction of where she was bending his wrist, trying to keep the pain to a minimum. "OK! OK! Mercy!"

"You _know_ I hate it when you do that," growled Ana, releasing his hand with a look of anger. The red veins could be seen in the hand that had been gripping Tony's own but were now receding.

"I know," said Tony as he shook out his hand, still smiling despite nearly having his hand twisted. "That's why I do it." He quickly reached out to ruffle her hair again and backed off just as quickly to avoid her snatching hand. He rushed to Pepper's side and hid behind her, his hazel eyes glancing at Bruce as his smile grew. "You need to put her on a leash."

Ana's growl was quieted the moment Bruce had automatically reached out to massage the back of her neck. She closed her eyes at the pleasure that erupted from his touch and her head lolled slightly as a soft moan of contentment emerged. The smile that touched the good doctor's face was a loving one before he glanced at the playboy. "You two really need to stop."

"Hey, I didn't do anything," said Tony, sitting down at the table as he set the tablet aside. "She's the one trying to break my hand." A smack on the back of his head shut him up quickly enough and he glanced back at Pepper with an incredulous look though he was still smiling. He knew he deserved that.

"Apologize to your sister," whispered Pepper, a meaningful look in her eyes as she nodded the tablet. She had sat down beside him, reaching out to start serving herself some breakfast. Tony glanced at the tablet before understanding touched him and his smile grew. He took it in hand and held it up, catching Bruce and Ana's attention, who had been about to serve themselves breakfast as well.

"Here. I think you might like this," said Tony, catching Ana's eye as he waved the tablet back and forth. He saw the confusion on her face and beckoned her to come and take a look at it.

Glancing at Bruce, she moved her legs from his lap and got up to walk over to Tony. She took the tablet from him once she reached him and turned it over to take a look at the screen. A moment of silence passed as she looked over the files. She reached out to look at some diagrams and the color had faded slightly from her face as she realized what it was. She looked at Tony then Pepper as the tears began to well in her brown eyes. " _Mon dieu..._ Are you both serious? You would do all of this? For me?" She held out the tablet, her hand trembling slightly.

"Not just for you," said Tony as he took the tablet from her, preventing her from accidentally dropping it, and handed it to Pepper. She took the tablet and got up to walk around the table to Bruce so he could take a look at the files as well. "For all of us. We're a family, right? We can't be a real family if we're all spread apar-" He was cut off the moment Ana had thrown her arms around his neck and proceeded to embrace him rather tightly.

"Oh Tony, thank you!" cried Ana before she started smothering his face with affectionate kisses.

Pepper was laughing at the uncomfortable expression on her boyfriend's face while Bruce smiled, still gazing at the diagrams displayed on the screen of the tablet. It was the beginnings of an arc reactor, designed to sustain the power of the life support system that belonged to Jenn. She would be able to be moved from her current location without the risk of her system being shut down. Bruce had to admit this was an incredible thing to do. With Jenn being able to move, Ana's family could finally be in one place. And he would finally have his woman beside him without the worry of her needing to leave to confirm the safety of that family. They would all be safe under one roof and better protected with Jenn fully connected with Jarvis straight from the system.

"Sir," a distinguished computerized voice with a British accent had spoken from an unseen intercom system at that moment. Speak of the computer himself. "I've detected an intruder making their way up one of the stairwells to the tower. They had managed to enter from one of the construction areas down in Garage level A. Shall I have them escorted out?"

"I don't know see why not," said Tony, easing himself out of Ana's embrace. "Show me the video. I bet it's some member of the press hoping to get some good footage of the place..." He chuckled at the thought, having had many a member of the press trying to infiltrate his place only to be "kindly" escorted out by a member of security.

Ana pulled away from Tony and quickly went to take her seat next to Bruce. Her excitement was still clear as she hugged Bruce's arm and smiled happily at him. A hologram monitor appeared above the table in front of Tony and the video footage revealed a slender woman with long dark hair climbing her way up the stairs, the look on her face one of exhausted determination. Everyone had taken a good look at the woman and three of them recognized exactly who it was.

Only one had uttered her name aloud.

"Betty?" said Bruce, the look in his soft brown eyes one of confusion and disbelief.

Ana felt a churning of unease in the pit of her stomach as she caught sight of the look in Bruce's eyes. However, she didn't allow it to grow any worse than that. She looked at the video of the security camera and took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. "That _is_ Betty... Isn't it?" She looked Bruce and he looked at her, his confusion still so clear.

"But... How...?" He couldn't even talk; the shock had seemed to stop all rational thought.

Ana swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at Tony and Pepper. "She's his... She's a good friend of Bruce's. I can only imagine she must be here to see him. Right?" She looked at Bruce, knowing that this was something he needed to confront himself.

"I..." Bruce could barely talk.

Ana took that as a sign and looked at Tony, giving a firm nod. "She must have known Bruce would be here. After all of the news footage..." She cleared her throat, after her voice had cracked slightly, and she tried to speak again. "Tony, you should let her up here. She needs to know Bruce is all right. I'm sure Bruce would like to see her too after so long." She looked at the man she loved again but he didn't say anything. He simply stared at the video of his first love climbing her way of the stairs to Stark Tower, trying to get to him.

"Ana..." Pepper was frowning as she studied the other woman. She could tell right away that Ana was very uncomfortable with all of this. The unasked question could be heard in her voice.

_Are you sure?_

Ana looked into Pepper's eyes and gave another firm nod. "This is important. To both of them. They need this. He needs this..."

Tony had been listening to the entire exchange between the two women he cared for the most. He took a deep breath in and let loose a heavy sigh. This wasn't a good idea, even he realized that. At least for Ana. Here was Bruce's old girlfriend coming out of the blue to find him. Here was Ana, trying to be supportive. That was a lot of emotion brimming under the surface. She was handling it a lot better than he ever would and he was a guy. He couldn't imagine being so cordial if some old boyfriend of Pepper's was trying to see her...

Tony pulled out his smart phone and called one of his most trusted of employees, aside from Pepper. "Happy? You busy? There's something I need you to do..."

-o-

The moment Betty found herself face to face with a rather unpleasant looking, dark haired, well-built man in that stairwell, her heart dropped. She was sure she had been caught, especially when he had called her by her name and said that she needed to come with him. She had no choice but to follow the man.

So, it was a surprise when, instead of leading her back down to the first floor, he had taken her to an elevator and led her inside. He pressed a button, one that was apart from all the rest and looked to be on the top most floor, before he folded his hands in front of him. They stood in silence as the elevator began to ascend, a long and very uncomfortable silent ascent.

He didn't speak to her and the frown that was constant on his face was a deterrent for any invite of conversation. It continued to ascend in that awkward silence before the elevator finally came to a stop. The doors slid open and revealed a rather spacious loft that was still under construction for repairs. Toward the other end of the loft, where a long black table was set in front of a breathtaking view of Midtown, sat a group of people.

"Ma'am," said the grumpy looking man as he gently nudged Betty out of the elevator. He followed after her but came to a stop at the doors, keeping them open just in case. Betty walked uncertainly into the loft, her blue eyes searching the room in slight awe, before she finally looked at the people who apparently were waiting for her.

"Ms. Ross," said a darkly handsome man with a well-groomed goatee. "Welcome to Stark Tower. I have to admit, you are determined."

Betty didn't respond to the man she knew had to be Mr. Stark. Her eyes searched the group until they fell upon a familiar form at the table. "Bruce...?"

Bruce had gotten up the table at the sound of her voice and the look on his face was one of disbelief. "Betty... What are you doing here?"

She didn't respond to his question. She simply let out a sob of relief at the sight of him alive and well. She ran the length of the room and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "It is you! Oh, thank god, you're all right!"

She had hugged him tightly for a few moments. It took those few moments for her to realize that the familiar feel of his arms that she had been expecting hadn't come...

The sudden crushing snap of metal and wood broke through the tense silence and Betty jumped in surprise. She looked over Bruce's shoulder to catch sight of a terrifying looking woman with pulsing red veins in the skin of her hands. She had been gripping the table so tightly that it had shattered beneath her very grip. The flash of a yellow glow could be seen in her eyes as she got up from the table.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," the woman said as she quickly hid her hands in the long sleeves of her blue blouse. She glanced down at the floor, her copper brown curls hiding her glowing eyes from view. "Don't pay me any mind. Please... E-excuse me..." She quickly ran off toward the elevator, the guard who had been standing there immediately moving aside to let her go. His rather fierce look had softened slightly as he watched at the woman leave. The softened look had turned to one of worry as the woman pressed urgently on one of the buttons in the elevator, the doors sliding closed after her.

"Ana," said Bruce, his worry could be heard clear in his voice. He quickly pulled himself from Betty's arms and looked at her. The look in his soft brown eyes was something she had never thought she would see before. It was one of disappointment. "Betty..." He took her hands in his own and gave her them a gentle squeeze. "I'll come back and talk to you. I promise... but..." He glanced at the elevator and released her hands without another word. He ran toward the elevator, running after the strange woman who had left the group.

Betty stood there, completely caught off guard by all that had happened.

"So," said Mr. Stark, catching Betty's attention as he gave her a charming smile that did not seem to reach his eyes. "Come to crash the party huh?"

"Tony," said the red headed woman beside him, glaring at him, before she turned her attention to Betty. "Ms. Ross, please have a seat. We were having breakfast before you came. Are you hungry?"

"I..." Betty moved as if in a daze toward one of the chairs and sat down, her movements somewhat numb. "I... I'm sorry. I'm not thank you." She composed herself and looked at the other woman. "I'm so sorry for intruding. I'm an old friend of Bruce’s and..." She trailed off, unsure of how to even begin. She knew that whatever had happened to Bruce within the last year since she had seen him, it had changed him completely. He wasn't her Bruce anymore. Not from the look that had been on his face when he ran after that woman. "I am so sorry for coming without calling or... I don't know why I even-"

"It's all right Ms. Ross," said the woman as she gave a comforting smile. "Bruce will be back. I'm Pepper by the way and this is-"

"Mr. Stark," said Betty as she gave a nod to Pepper in greeting before looking at the man, who was still frowning slightly at her. He looked as if he really didn't want her there. "I _am_ sorry. I'll leave. I'm staying in a motel nearby. If you could just tell Bruce that I just wanted to see him."

"It's fine," said Pepper as she looked at Tony and tilted her head, the look in her eyes meaningful. "Stay here until Bruce comes back. He won't be long."

It was at that moment that Mr. Stark allowed a hint of smile to show through. Apparently, there was something he knew that Betty didn't...

-o-

"Ana?"

Bruce had emerged from the elevator and walked into the living area of his own personal apartments. He knew if there was any place Ana would go, it would be where he had been most recently. Her other self found comfort in the rooms that carried the strongest scent of him. He continued to walk down the few steps that led from the elevator and into the living room, which had its own wide windows that had a great view of Midtown. "Ana?"

It was at that moment that he was tackled from behind and turned forcefully around so that he was facing his attacker. Bruce stared into the glowing yellow eyes of Cin and was caught completely off guard. Of the many times they had been together, Bruce had never met Cin in his calm state. They were always together as Bruce and Ana or as Hulk and Cin. Never one with the other. Ana had said she had met the Hulk before but he had no memory of it.

He swallowed back the tightness in his throat as he looked up at Cin, the sight of her red toned, clawed hands and feet an unexpected one. He never realized how tall she truly was. It was different seeing her this way. She stood at a full height of seven feet while he was a mere five feet seven inches in his calm self.

"Cin," he said her name as if it were a prayer, his voice a gentle grumble.

" _Bru...ce,_ " she growled in response as she leaned down to press her forehead against his. " _Mi-ine._ " She crooned gently to him as she leaned down further, pressing her hot lips against the side of his neck. " _Lo-ove..._ " she growled again, this time tears falling and hissing against her hot cheeks as she nuzzled his neck. " _Mi-ine..._ "

Bruce swallowed the tightness in his throat. "Always," he said in response, not missing a beat.

That seemed to be the trigger she needed to hear because he was suddenly thrown back against the beige loveseat that was nearby. He didn't get to get in a word edgewise because her red claws had quickly ripped about his slacks, the fabric torn away in one fluid movement. He barely took in a breath to say something to her, anything to her, when it caught in his throat.

The most hot, moist surface that he had ever felt had run from the very base of his member right up to the very tip. He groaned, his knees starting to tremble, as the hot moistness surrounded him completely.

_Oh god, was she reall-_

The thought was cut off as Cin sucked on his hardening arousal, her hot tongue swirling around his tip. She was purring as she did so, the vibration coming straight from her torso, up to her throat, and straight to his hardness.

"O-oh... g-god..." Bruce barely managed to stutter out as the pleasure completely overtook him, having never felt anything like this before. She was so _hot_ and her _mouth_... He twitched the moment she sucked him in again, this time taking all of him in. The very tip of him had hit the back of her throat, her purring still vibrating from her torso and up to her throat.

"Oh, Jesus," he muttered as he held onto the edge of the loveseat, his hands trembling as the pleasure quickly spread from the pit of his stomach all throughout his body.

_Was it supposed to feel so_ good _?_

She quickly sucked as she pulled back, her teeth very, _very,_ gently grazing the length of him. He closed his eyes as he threw his head back, his moans emerging from his mouth before he could stop it. Her mouth was so hot, so wet and so... so...

"N-not s-supposed... to feel... so _g-good_ ," he said in groaning words, the disbelief could clearly be heard. His moans were suddenly cut off as a choking gasp escaped him, his climax coming so unexpectedly. " _A-Ana_ ," he groaned out her name as he came into her mouth, his muscles twitching with each pulsing release. "L-love... _O-oh..._ " His words had trailed off into a stuttered groan as his hips thrust forward into her mouth, the most natural reaction, giving her everything as he completely fell apart.

Cin sucked on him one last time, taking it all in, before she finally let him go and moved close to nuzzle his firm stomach. " _My... Bru-uce,_ " she growled, her long, lithe, arms wrapping around his hips and holding him tight. Her skin was hot to the touch but so comforting.

Bruce could barely breathe as he looked down at Cin, his limbs trembling from the extreme pleasure he had just experienced, disbelief warring with the deep love he felt for her. God, if she was this way from feeling the way she had... He really, _really,_ needed to try it with Cin from now on.

" _Mi-ine,_ " growled Cin, her hold tightening around him.

"Always," Bruce said in a breathless word, never once feeling a single thought or emotion the Other Guy. Bruce supposed this was a sign. All sides of them, feral and calm, loved each other. They were one, the same, and _everything_ together...


	31. The Plan Seemed Simple

_I caught a glimpse in my rearview mirror_

_Of an old familiar face_

_Blurry image coming in clearer_

_Of a past I can't erase_

_I could've sworn I put him in the ground_

_But looks like he's found his way out..._

**My Own Worst Enemy** – Casting Crowns

-o-

Chapter 31: The Plan Seemed Simple

The plan seemed simple enough to a man like Dr. Anthony Parsons.

There wasn't much that could mess it up.

He would either get a yes or no answer to his question.

Yet, as he stood at the doorway to that rundown bar that was beyond the limits of an army base in a very rural part of Virginia, he felt a deep sense of unease. Perhaps it was because it was late in the evening or perhaps it was because of the local roughnecks that were eying him. Either way, he felt as if he were waiting to make a deal with the devil himself.

Suppressing a shudder, he straightened out his brown trench coat and walked into the bar, sidling past a couple of bikers that refused to move for him. Inside, he was greeted by a very smoky atmosphere and low lighting. There were several mismatched tables and chairs from what he could see, several battered pool tables all currently occupied, and one long bar counter that spanned the length of the right side of the room. There were a few people seated and one in particular that still wore the deep green coat of his former occupation as an army general.

Taking in a breath to calm his beating heart, he walked over to the rather stoic, middle aged general at the bar. He stood there for a moment before he pulled out the stool beside the man and awkwardly sat down on it. Dr. Parsons was a short man, with a receding hairline of salt and pepper hair and thick glasses that constantly slid down his small nose. He was just the kind of man to get on the wrong side of General Ross in a heartbeat.

"Son," grumbled the general before he took a puff on his cigar. "You better have a good reason for sittin' there. If not, you'd best move your ass somewhere else." He spared a glance at the smaller man, took one appraising look, before he blew a stream of smoke into Dr. Parson's face.

Parsons coughed but didn't bother waving the smoke away. Instead, he reached in his coat and pulled a manila envelope out before setting it down between them on the counter. "I'm here for business, Mr. Ross. Something that may be of interest you. My employer is looking to get a very important piece of property back, one that had been stolen from us a number a years ago. It's recently been spotted with something that had been of interest to you until over a year ago."

Ross took another puff of his cigar before he picked up his shot glass and swallowed the whole thing down in one gulp. He slammed the glass down and turned in his stool, completely ignoring the envelope, as he leaned forward and blew another stream of smoke into Parsons face. "I'll tell you what I tell every science weakling that comes in here looking for the Hulk. I don't know where he is and I'm not lookin' for him. He's no longer my responsibility. So, I suggest you take your shit and get the fuck out."

Parsons swallowed and reached out to take the envelope in a shaking hand. He opened it and pulled out a few large photos. He set them on the bar and tapped his fingers on them, catching the General's attention. "It's not the Hulk we're after..."

Ross glanced down at the photos, first in a casual glance, and then with interest as he took a good look at the subject in the photos. They were pictures of a very tall, very feral looking, dark haired woman with prominent red veins against her visible skin and glowing yellow eyes. He leaned away from Parsons and looked at the photos with increasing interest. "What the hell is that?"

"That," said Parsons, rather glad the man had moved away from his personal space, "is 01. The very first experiment in a privately funded project. One in which the U.S. Government had no knowledge of until _very_ recently. One in which my employer is eager to get back."

"And? What the hell kind of experiment did you do on her? Gamma radiation?"

"Ah, no," said Parsons, actually chuckling a little bit. "That _would_ be the first assumption based on your experience." He shook his head and pulled out another photo, this time of the Hulk and the female together on the battlefield in Midtown. "No... 01 is unique in the fact that she had merged with an alien entity early in her life. It mutates her in such a fashion. She is triggered in much the same way as your Hulk but hers is a more... _natural_ mutation. A simple yet elegant blending of organisms."

Ross didn't bother with the poetic shit coming from the scientist's mouth. He was interested in the most recent photo the weak man pulled out. It was of that feral female in the arms of the Hulk and they were looking rather familiar with each other...

"She's with Banner," said Ross, pulling the photo forward and studying it. He'd never seen such a look on the Hulk's face, not since that time in Harlem with Betty. The major difference was that the Hulk had found a female that was as close to his equivalent as he could find. A feral female... The look in the Hulk's face was much more intimate and very much like an open book. The Hulk had a weakness.

"The human part of her," said Ross, looking at Parsons with increasing interest. "What does she look like? She has to have a calm side."

"Ah, yes..." Parsons cleared his throat and nodded. "She does... Unfortunately, as I stated before, she was taken from us number of years ago by a geneticist that worked with us. Apparently, she had connections we weren't even aware of when she was hired. The moment she left with the experiment all of the data on the project was wiped out from our mainframe and our backup systems. That is the only data we have aside from our own testimonies." He pointed to the photos, now feeling uneasy again.

Ross sneered as he pushed the photos away from him and leaned back in his chair, taking a pull on his cigar. "And I'm supposed to take your word alone? How do I know she isn't an experiment from some other country lookin' to start a war?"

"Look around," said Parsons, holding out his hands as he gestured. "You’ll find no record of her. No pictures, no files, nothing. I'm sure you'll find the beginnings of something with SHIELD but you're not a part of their little club, are you? You won't have clearance for that."

Ross stared thoughtfully at photos, letting out a breath of smoke as he studied the female and the Hulk. They were close, that much he could tell. He wondered...

"If I agree to help you catch your little pet project, what would I get in return?"

"What you've always worked so hard for General," said Parsons, rather glad that the man was showing signs of considering it. "Power, prestige, a super soldier army…"

Ross bit on his cigar and continued to stare at the photos. "And how would that be achieved?"

Parsons took the photo of the feral couple and tapped on the female, most particularly her face. "She is mated to your Hulk. She is, in every sense of the word, feral. She's found her mate and will look to, at some point down the road, start bearing his young. As my employer says, the offspring of such union would be unstoppable. Now, imagine an entire army of them..." He set the photo down and reached into his coat, pulling out a small memory card. He set it on top of the photo and pushed everything toward the general. "That is all the video we collected on the Midtown battle from three months ago. All the relevant footage is of our two points of interest. Study it and let us know what you think." He took a card from the same pocket in his coat and set it on top of the pile. "Call us. We have several plans in place for capturing 01. You help us and we’ll help you… I’m sure being an army general is not all you wished for your career."

With that, Dr. Parsons got up from the stool and left, feeling very relieved. Hopefully, the General caught enough interest. The next two people to be a part of the plans were hinging on the General’s cooperation.

They would certainly agree, if only out of revenge, that much Parsons knew. But controlling one of them would be a different matter…

-o-

Ana was feeling tired and her joints were aching by the time she came to. The sun was already setting from her vantage point of the large windows in living room of Bruce's apartments. She was lying on the large area rug in the floor of the living area and she felt a warm body beneath hers that was gently stirring.

"Mm... Ana?"

She felt a hand against her hair and she looked up to catch sight of a very tired, but very satisfied, looking Bruce smiling at her. "Hey, you're back..."

"Bruce?" Ana looked around in surprise, finding themselves in his apartments. "What... happened? What are we doing here? And why is it eve-" Realization cut her off as she caught sight of the love scratches on Bruce's shoulders as well as the dark hickeys on his neck and chest. " _Mon dieu,_ Bruce! Did Cin...?" She buried her face in his chest then and started trembling. "I'm so sorry _mon amant._ Did she hurt you? I-"

The moment his hands had grasped her face, pulled it up to his, and pressed such a warm, loving kiss against her lips, she felt the calm come back. He pulled away and brushed the copper brown curls from her eyes. "Don't ever apologize. You never let me. Don't _ever_ think you need to do so with me." He smiled, his soft brown eyes gazing into hers. "Just _promise_ you'll do it again... I rather enjoyed it. Now I see why the Other Guy loves keeping Cin to himself."

Ana could do nothing but stare at the man she loved. The tears started rolling down her cheeks before she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close as she kissed him soundly. " _Je t'aime,_ my Bruce... I love you so!"

He laughed a bit as he returned her hug, feeling so complete and so at ease. "I love you, Ana... Always."

She pressed her forehead against his before she pulled away, feeling much better. At least until the memories from that morning came trickling back up from the depths of her mind. " _Ah, merde,_ Betty... We left her up there with Tony and Pepper. Oh, I feel awful."

"It's fine," said Bruce, moving gently to sit up and pulling her up with him. "They know us by now... At least Tony would expect something like this. I'm sure Betty's still here. We'll get dressed and head back up."

"I'm sorry Bruce," said Ana, after a moment of silence as they got to their feet, now devoid of any kind of clothing. The furniture of the living area was torn to shreds, as was usual in Bruce's bedroom as opposed to this. "I didn't mean to lose control like that."

"It's fine Ana," said Bruce, this time allowing a smug smile to touch his lips. "Cin was jealous... You had no control over that."

"Ah... _oui_ ," was all Ana could think to say in reply, thanking her lucky stars that she had Bruce. He was so understanding and he was all hers.

"Come on," he said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her along to the bedroom. "Let's get dressed. I have a strong part of my past to greet again. I need you there for support."

"Always," said Ana, rather glad that Cin's possessive display hadn't thrown off her man's need for her calm self by his side.


	32. What Had Changed

_I'll probably wake up a little sad_

_But then_

_I'll get up_

_And_

_Let go of it all instead..._

**Let Go** – Avril Lavigne

-o-

Chapter 32: What Had Changed

What had changed in the span of twelve hours? In the span of a year?

Those were the questions that went through Betty's mind as she sat on one of the long, plush leather couches in the reconstructed living area of Tony Stark's personal apartments. The moment Bruce had went chasing after that strange woman, that was the last anyone saw of either of them for the rest of the day. Betty was growing concerned the more hours had passed but neither Mr. Stark or Ms. Pepper Potts seemed worried. It made Betty wonder if this was a common occurrence with Bruce and that woman.

"Here," said Pepper that early afternoon, as she walked toward Betty and sat down on the couch beside her. "They might be longer than I'd hoped. I am sorry. They tend to... do that sometimes." She smiled nervously at Betty as she held out a personal tablet. "These are files concerning the battles that happened here a few months ago. It contains all the footage the news media weren't able to access. I'll think you'll have better idea of why Ana had reacted the way she had this morning."

Betty glanced at Pepper a moment before she took the tablet and picked the first file on display. "That woman's name is Ana," she said as she watched a video file of the Hulk lying among some burning alien bodies outside of the building belonging to Grand Central Terminal. It seemed to be taken from a camera angle of someone who was very close to the action. On top of the Hulk was a strange female. A very tall female with prominent, glowing red veins showing through a tattered and scorched blouse and jeans. Surprisingly normal clothing considering the creature they adorned.

Through the audio feed, one could hear the heartfelt croons from the female as she rubbed her forehead against the Hulk's. She was crying. The Hulk had responded in turn and had wrapped his large arms around her, grumbling to her as he held her. It was an intimate moment between the two of them. A _very_ intimate moment from what Betty witnessed next. The blush was in her cheeks as she heard the voice of the person recording the scene. " _Oh..._ " The blush could be heard in the man's voice.

Pepper laughed a little. "They're very... affectionate."

"That's... Ana?" asked Betty as she stared at the feral, terribly tall female with the glowing yellow eyes. The Hulk had gotten to his feet after they were attacked by a passing alien vehicle. He now had her in his arms, had nuzzled her neck, and then threw her at an oncoming alien monstrosity floating toward them. The head of thing promptly exploded in a fantastic fiery explosion once the female had landed on it.

"That's Ana," said Pepper. "At least, another part of her. This part of her is called Cin. It's a side to her that has the potential to be provoked easily." She watched the video with Betty, watching the feral couple, as the Hulk had caught Cin once she was thrown from creature. The moment Cin had pressed her forehead to the Hulk's, and crooned to him, the look on his face pure bliss.

"She's like Bruce," said Betty as realization hit her. She looked at Pepper, looking for confirmation to her thought. "What happened this morning... That was her other self trying to come out. She saw me..." Dread and regret filled her then as she thought back on what she had done. She had hugged Bruce. It had nearly set Ana off. Yet, the woman didn't yell at Betty or try hurt her. She had apologized and excused herself. To keep from hurting any of them...

"Ana's a good person," said Pepper as she got up from the couch. "She was the one who said it would be best that you and Bruce meet again. For the both of you."

"Bruce told her about me?" asked Betty in faint surprise.

"Mm," was all Pepper said in response as she nodded. She took in a breath as she grasped her upper arm in her hand. "They had had a lot to talk about from the time they met. They have one very strong thing in common. It was a given they would get to know each other." She gestured toward the tablet. "Take a look at the files of the battles. You'll see what I mean. I'm going to get lunch brought up for you. I also had your things brought from your motel to one of the guest apartments."

"Oh, you didn't have-"

"I insist," interrupted Pepper. "I don't think Bruce would have liked you to be in some motel. Not if we have the room here." She smiled at Betty then. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." She then turned and walked off.

Betty stared after the redhead as she walked away to the elevator before she glanced down at the tablet. She took in a breath and settled herself into the couch to watch the rest of the files.

-o-

The hours had passed and the day had moved on as it always did. Evening was settling down.

Betty had watched all of the video files on the battles in Midtown, all of the ones focused on the Hulk and Cin. She had shared a lunch with Pepper and Mr. Stark before they had gone off to handle whatever business they had scheduled for the day. She had remained in the apartments and waited for Bruce and Ana to come back. She knew they would. Bruce was too kindhearted and sweet for that.

After she had seen those files, she had a slightly better understanding as to why Ana had acted the way she did and why Bruce had gone after her. Their relationship was on a completely different level than anything Betty had had with Bruce. Since their other selves were so in tune with each other, it only made sense that their human selves would follow along the same path. Bruce had found the one woman he didn't have to fear of hurting by accident. There was no worry there. Cin seemed strong enough to handle the Hulk. Both in a physical and emotional sense.

Betty would have to lie if she said it didn't hurt.

Of course, she had known the moment Bruce left her in Harlem that he was saying goodbye. However, deep inside, there had always been that hope. Hope that he may come back. Hope that they could be what they were before. There had been hope.

Now...

She had reason now to finally let him go.

She had come here to find out if he was all right and she had gotten her answer. He was all right and he was finally finding his place in life again. There was no need for her to be here. She let a sad smile appear on her lips as she got up from the couch. She looked around at the extravagant loft, though most of it was still under construction. She wondered where Pepper had placed her things. The woman didn't say what floor the guest apartments were on...

Actually, she wasn't sure how she could contact Ms. Potts.

Betty made her way across the large open area of the loft toward the elevator, her mind wandering. She climbed the few steps and was just about to reach elevator button when the doors dinged and then slid open. She was greeted by the sight of Bruce and Ana, their hands firmly intertwined. Both were looking very nervous.

"Betty," Bruce was the first to notice her standing there, his soft brown eyes growing slightly wide behind his gold rimmed glasses. "Thank goodness, you're still here."

"You were right," said Ana as she smiled at Bruce and then at Betty. "They did keep her here. _Mais_... She looks to be leaving..." The smile had faded from her face and a worried frown had replaced it. "You weren't leaving, were you?"

"It's... probably best..." began Betty only to be cut off as a very warm hand had grabbed hers and she was suddenly pulled back toward the living area.

" _Non! Vous ne pouvez pas laisser!_ " said Ana in an accented dialect of French, not realizing she had switched in her language as she pulled both Bruce and Betty toward the long black couch. Betty had glanced at Bruce in surprise but all he could was smile and shake his head. Apparently, this was something he was used to with her.

" _S'asseoir_ ," said Ana as she released their hands and pointed down to the couch. When they looked at her in confusion, she pointed to the couch again. "Sit, sit! Both of you! You haven't seen each other in a long time and have much to catch up on. Besides, Ms. Ross, for you to leave when you had come all this way to see him is just... just rude!"

Ana stood there, breathing heavily for a moment as she stared down at the both of them, looking particularly annoyed. It was only when Bruce began to laugh that Betty began to relax and Ana, realizing what she was doing, proceeded to blush terribly. " _Ah, mon dieu..._ I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that... Ms. Ross, please forgive me for both now and this morning. I haven't even introduced myself yet-"

"You're Ana," said Betty, a gentle smile appearing on her lips as she from the couch and held out her hand. "Mr. Stark and Ms. Pepper had been kind enough to fill me in on the basics while you two were gone. It's nice meet you. Please, just call me Betty."

Ana's blush had deepened but she didn't hesitate to take Betty's hand in her own. "Anamaria Brandt. Likewise, Ms. Ross... Betty. Bruce had told me all about you."

"I hope it was all good things," said Betty as she looked at Bruce and smiled. He smiled back at her, that familiar, sweet smile that used to be all hers.

"Nothing but," said Ana as she released Betty's hand and smiled at him as well. "He tends to have nothing but kind things to say."

"That's true," said Betty in response and both women glanced at each other before laughing, especially at the sight of the Bruce's blush.

" _Bien_ ," said Ana, after a moment, as she clasped her hands behind her. "You are both here as you were supposed to be this morning. I'm sure you have much to catch up on, so I'll leave you both to it."

"Uh," Betty felt the worry grow at the thought of Ana leaving. She didn't want to set Cin off again. "Are you sure that's all right? I-I don't want to make the... um... Other you... upset."

"Ah, they told you about Cin," said Ana as she took in a breath, a look of regret touching her features. "I _am_ sorry about that Betty... She is very... um... possessive of Bruce. I tried not to let it show though."

"It's all right for you to stay Ana," said Bruce as he got to his feet and walked toward her. He pulled her into a tight hug and held her close. He didn't seem to mind that Betty was standing right there. Ana held onto him for a moment and she took in a deep breath as if to calm herself. Betty saw all of this for herself and she knew, right then, that her Bruce was now Ana's. Yet, to see the smile on Bruce's face, Betty truly felt it was right thing to let go. He was in good hands.

"You both need this time to catch up," said Ana as she pulled away from Bruce and smiled up at him. "I'm fine now. Cin knows she has nothing to worry about."

Bruce laughed and nodded before he took her face in his hands and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He leaned to her ear and whispered something to her. Ana closed her eyes as she listened, a faint blush reaching her cheeks, before she nodded as well and took his hands in her own. She kissed his fingers before she pulled away completely and then looked at Betty.

"It is very nice to finally meet you Betty," she said before giving a very sweet smile. Betty couldn't help but smile in return. "I'll be downstairs bothering Tony. I'm sure he's in the lab somewhere."

"Don't get in another fight with him," said Bruce as he tried not to laugh. "You know how he is about his stuff."

" _Oui_ ," said Ana as she walked off toward the elevator and raised a hand in goodbye. "That's why I bother him. _Au revoir_!"

The moment the elevator doors closed behind her, Betty started laughing and shaking her head. "She is quite the character, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is," said Bruce as he smiled fondly at the elevator.

"I can see why you love her," Betty began as she sat down on the couch.

The smile had faded slightly from his face as he looked down at her. "Betty... I-"

"Don't apologize Bruce," said Betty, allowing a fond smile to touch her lips. "I didn't when you came back into my life back then. That's what life does. It changes us and... everything around us."

He let out a sigh as he moved to sit down on the couch next to her. "I didn't want you to get hurt again. Not with everything that had happened. All of those people still coming after me..."

"I know," said Betty as she reached out to take his hand in hers. "I know. Otherwise, you would have stayed." She placed her other hand over his and held it tightly between hers, squeezing it gently. "I just wanted to see for myself that you were all right after all this time of not hearing from you. I'm glad to see that not only are you but... you're happy. You're the Bruce that I've always wanted to see again. Even if I couldn't do it... I'm glad someone was able to. I'm grateful to Ana just because she's helped you find yourself again."

Bruce smiled a little at the thought of it and nodded in that nervous way of his that Betty always loved. "I guess... she did." He glanced at Betty for a moment before he reached out and pulled her into a warm embrace. "God, I did miss you Betty."

"I missed you too," she said as she returned his hug. "I'll always be here for you Bruce. You can always count on me as a friend to be here when you need me."

"Now that it's safe enough... I think I'd like that." He pulled away to smile at her before the echoing sound of an explosion could be heard from a couple of floors below.

"What was that?" cried Betty in surprise as she looked around, scared that the Tower might be under attack.

"Uh... That would be Ana," said Bruce as he glanced at the elevator and then at Betty. "She tends to do that when she and Tony get in an argument..." He got up from the couch and offered a hand to help Betty to her feet.

She took it with muttered thanks before she let go, the look on her face was one of slight shock. "Does she... do that a lot?"

"Get in an argument with Tony?" He gave that nervous nod as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Y-yeah... They both seem to enjoy getting on each other’s nerves. Shall we?" He held out a hand toward the elevator door. "I'm afraid he's just going to get her more annoyed..."

"Lead the way," said Betty as she started to giggle while they walked across the way toward the elevator doors. "I think this is going to be an interesting visit."

"You're staying here at the Tower, right?"

"Yes, Ms. Pepper invited me to stay for the duration of my visit. If that's all right with you."

"Of course," Bruce said as he waved it off. They had reached the elevator by this time and he pressed his thumb against the button. "How long were you planning on visiting?"

"A couple of weeks," said Betty in reply as they entered the elevator and Bruce pressed a button for one of the labs. "I figured that would be good time to come and search for you. I didn't think I'd see you right on my first day here..."

"You were always determined when you wanted to get something done," said Bruce with a gentle laugh as the elevator began to descend. A moment of silence passed as the stood beside one another. Finally, Bruce glanced at Betty and moved over to bump his shoulder against hers. She looked at him and huffed out a soft laugh as she moved close and rested her head against his shoulder, reaching out to hug his arm.

He was no longer her Bruce.

Still... Betty felt good to let him go.

At least this time around, she knew he was doing all right. Hopefully, they could stay in touch. Who knows? Things would turn out all right. She could finally move on with her life without looking back and wondering "what if?"

It was that thought that made her happy. She could _finally_ let go...


	33. To See the Love

_Pack your bags and come with me_

_You and I had already seen what we meant to be_

_I still don't understand that look in your eyes_

_But we both know where this history is gonna take us_

_And I say in my deep state of love_

_That you are mine..._

**Mine** – Emmy Curl

-o-

Chapter 33: To See the Love

To see the love between the two was like some sweet scene from a romantic movie. You could feel that they loved each other so much. Every movement, every touch, every smile, every word... They radiated off of one another like their own personal sun. When one was upset, the other was there to calm and bring a smile. When one moved, the other was quick to stay close and remain by their side.

Betty had thought that she would be hurting much more than this. To be under the same roof with Bruce and his new girlfriend was a situation straight out of a soap opera... or a sitcom. Whoever thought it was dramatic or funny. Oddly enough, she didn't feel as much hurt. There was some jealousy but not enough to make her resent Ana's relationship with Bruce.

It was more like envy.

She envied what Ana had with Bruce.

Their relationship was pure, positive, emotion. They seemed to glow with this inner knowledge that everyone else seemed to be lacking. It was as if they knew exactly who they were and what they were to each other. Damn any differences they may have had, any disagreements that may spring up, damn all the negative shit. They knew that they loved each other, their other selves were _immersed_ in each other, and that was all they needed. They were right for each other and the little negative things just didn't matter.

Pepper had told Betty she thought it was because of the Hulk and Cin that Bruce and Ana's relationship was so calm. The two feral sides of themselves saw the other as Mate. Their other selves saw their life partner in this crazy hell of a world. The odds that they would have crossed paths in such a way was almost unimaginable. When they were close together, they brought each other a much-needed calm. They understood that with each other, they could learn to control their other selves and not be triggered easily. They could learn to control their change. They were a long way from that but they were learning. At least, that's what Pepper thought from watching them the last three months.

Who knew for sure outside of the two of them.

Betty could only laugh and shake her head in amusement. That was one thing she could say about Virginia "Pepper" Potts and Anthony Stark. They were far from normal people. They took whatever was thrown at them in stride. Especially when it came to Bruce and Ana. That was another story in itself. Betty had only been in the guest apartments for a few days before she had experienced what was considered a normality within Stark Tower.

She had been scared awake early one morning by the sounds of deep roaring, high pitched screaming and shuddering walls, ceilings and floors. It lasted for another hour and it was only after the silence had finally fallen that Betty had gotten up and gotten ready for the day. She had emerged from the elevator to Tony's apartments to join everyone for breakfast twenty minutes later. She was greeted by the shit eating grin of one Tony Stark.

"Betty, good morning! Did you sleep well?" he had called out to her in a much too cheery manner.

Betty mumbled a greeting in good morning as she reached for a pot of coffee. She didn't respond further until she got a good, large gulp from her coffee. She had looked at Tony, which he insisted he be called, and frowned at him. "Not particularly Tony. What kind of experiments do you run here that you have involved with loud animals and heavy machinery that shakes the very building? You really should invest in a quieter route of experiments. At least at that time in the morning."

The choking laugh from Pepper had been incentive enough for Betty to look up at the redhead in question. Said woman was trying hard to hold in her laughter but Tony was already far gone, guffawing rather loudly as he slammed a hand against the long black table. It was at that moment that Bruce and Ana had made their appearance and both were sporting deep blushes. This only made Tony and Pepper laugh even harder.

Betty stared at the laughing couple before she turned her blue eyes to the very blushing, quiet couple that joined the table. It didn't long to put two and two together and her own blush was deep as she quickly bit her lip to keep from joining in the laughter. Goodness. No wonder Bruce was so calm now.

Bruce and Ana could see that Betty was trying not to laugh at their expense and it was this that had the blushing couple smiling in an embarrassed manner.

"Sorry," said Ana as she sat down at the table. Bruce sat down beside her and quickly pulled her chair close beside his. "We _really_ did try to be quiet this time. It's been a few days..."

A snort could be heard from Pepper and then the laughter started again. That was all it took and Betty was gone with them. If this was what she had to look forward to in her visit, she knew things weren't going to ever be normal.

-o-

A week after Betty had arrived, another unexpected visitor had come to Stark Tower.

He had arrived from swirling thunder clouds and a series of flashing lightning, landing right on the balcony of Tony's personal apartments. He was a very tall man, dressed in armor with a flowing red cape, an outfit that looked more at place in some old Norse artwork. A large hammer was gripped tightly in his right hand. He had shoulder length blond hair, blazing blue eyes and a ready smile as he stormed his way into the living area, shattering the patio doors as he did so.

"Metal Man! Are you here? It is I, Thor of Asgard, son of Odin!" He stood in the middle of the loft and looked around before he caught sight of the long black table where the group had been having breakfast.

"Really?" asked Tony as he stared at the Asgardian. "I just had that replaced and you're just going to waltz in here, damaging it all over again?"

Thor smiled brightly as he set his hammer down on the floor, shattering the newly replaced black tile as he did so, and creating a small crater. "Is that anyway to greet an ally?" He walked over to the table and pulled Tony from his chair and into a very strong hug. "It has been too long my friend! How fair you here in Midgard?"

"It's only been three months, Point Break. Not too long at all," said Tony as he tried to take in a breath and pull himself out of Thor's grasp.

"Truly?" said Thor, releasing Tony and taking step back to look at the others. "Time moves slowly on Asgard." He shrugged a broad shoulder and pointed a finger at Bruce once he caught sight of him. "Ah, my large green friend! We still have to have the rematch, don't we?"

"Uh," said Bruce, glancing quickly at Ana, who was trying not to laugh. "No... No, no. That wouldn't be the best of ideas right now."

Ana snorted, having remembered a few flashes of the last fight that the Other Guy had with Thor.

"Ah, the Red Lady," said Thor as his smile turned a little brighter. He walked around the table and pulled out the chair right beside Ana's before plopping himself down on it. The chair creaked under the force. Considering it was Thor who sat on it, it was surprising it didn't break. "I have actually come to see you."

" _Moi_?" asked Ana in surprise, her brown eyes revealing her confusion. "What on earth would you wish to see me for?"

"In the rush of getting Loki back to Asgard and back to our father, I had not been able to speak with you concerning your other self." He reached at his side, where a leather satchel hung, and pulled out a single stone slab. He set it on the table in front of her and watched her expectantly. On the slab was a series of runes, ones in which Ana didn't understand. She never had reason to learn the runic Norse language.

"What... is this?"

"Touch it Lady. It is something that had belonged to an old ally of the Asgardians." He pushed slab toward her, the look on his face revealing an excitement hardly seen before. It seemed he liked this mission a lot better than the one he had before with Loki. "If it reacts to you then it will prove you are who I believe that otherworldly part of you is. A descendant of this ally."

Ana, looking doubtful but sensing no danger from the stone slab, simply smiled at the Asgardian before she glanced at Bruce. "Should I?"

Bruce was looking wary but a part of him was curious. "If Thor knows who Cin is, where she had come from... This might answer a lot of questions."

She looked at Tony, Pepper, and then Betty, seeing the curiosity on all of their faces, before she decided what the hell. She reached out to touch the slab with her right hand, her fingers barely brushing against the stone, before the runes immediately reacted. They started to glow a deep red as a sudden, alien warmth swept up her arm. The red veins had grown from the base of her neck and raced down her right arm in an alarming speed, glowing with a burning heat that Ana never saw herself. It had only happened while Cin was dominant after all.

The glowing runes lasted for just a moment before an image suddenly emerged from the glowing slab. It hovered there, the image of a lovely tall woman with blonde, curly hair and creamy skin with an ever-present flush in her cheeks. She was dressed in revealing clothing, an outfit that seemed to suit a desert or tropical area, a place that experienced constant heat. The woman smiled at Ana as she reached her hands out toward her.

" _My young one,_ " said the woman, her voice reaching into the minds of all of those present. " _If you are seeing this that means you are of my flesh and blood. It gives me great joy to know that my line continues. I had wondered if any of my descendants would find this last record of mine._ " The woman dropped her hands and folded them neatly before her. " _You must be wondering who I am. I am sure that your parents, maybe even your grandparents, had long forgotten me by now. I was nothing more than a gentle flame in the history of our people. I was an alien among them and yet they had welcomed me when my own people had not._ "

The woman paused, taking in a breath before she continued. _“My name is Lytta. I was born of the realm of Olympia. My own people had forsaken me because of the..._ unique _... gifts that had been bestowed upon me. I was once a goddess to the people of the realm known as Earth. My status among them was as the goddess of rage, fury, and... madness... It is what had set me apart from the other gods and goddesses. To instill these raging emotions within others at the merest thought... It was not the best of gifts to be remembered by from my brothers and sisters._ " Lytta looked as if she had started to walk but the hologram of her merely showed the movements. " _I was cast out from my own because of what I could do. I had found a home among our closest ally, the Asgardians. They were more understanding to my plight and I will be forever grateful to them for taking me in. However, it was place I never could call home, despite them calling me one of their own. So, I had moved on and disappeared into the realms. I traveled far and wide among the portals, visiting many different realms, until I came across a realm that was unlike any other. The people there were a feral group that had control over the very fires of their world. My powers of instilling raging madness in others did not affect them. They had embraced that part of themselves. It was divine to be... a part of a family again._ "

Lytta had stopped walking by this time and smiled at Ana. " _I had fallen in love with one of their men and settled there. I raised a family there, watched my children grow and have children of their own. My people have long lifespans... I was able to watch my children be fruitful. They did not know of the Olympian side to themselves and I did not feel the need to tell them. That part of their line had rejected their daughter. Still, I didn't want them to forget that part of their lineage. Though I have not lived in Olympia for many years I was still a daughter of them. As are you, a part of you, a child of both Olympia and Pyragia._ " She held out her hands again and looked as if she wanted to embrace Ana. " _I wish I could see you and hear your voice. I wonder what you look like. Do you have my eyes? Your great, great, many great, times grandfather's smile? His mother's dark hair? Perhaps even her cousin's blunt tongue?"_ At this, she giggled and Ana couldn't help but smile in return as Lytta continued. _“Are you well? Are you happy? Are all of my children? That is what I wish to know... But by the time you see this I will be long gone. My life decreases with each passing cycle. Still, know that I love you, my young one. I love you and your brothers and sisters. All of your family, who is mine. This slab was left with the Asgardians in the hope that one of my own would be curious enough to wander far beyond our realm. That you are hearing this means yes... And I am glad to finally have spoken to one of my own. Trust the Asgardians. They are a strong ally as I am sure you will be to them. Be strong my love, no matter what trials you may come across._ "

The hologram had faded by this time and the stone slab lost its red glow. It was once again nothing more than a piece of rock with runes carved into its surface.

Everyone was silent after seeing such a message from some alien woman from ages past, it was enough to set the reality to something surreal. As always, Tony was the one to break it in his own fashion. "So, you're the daughter an alien goddess... Great! Just don't expect any sacrifices any time soon OK? I don't have any spare lambs at the moment." The sudden sight of food flying, followed by the splattering sound of effect of said food against Tony's face, was enough to set everyone to start laughing.

" _Merde,_ " said Ana as she snarled at Tony. "You are _such_ an asshole!"

Tony was laughing as he scraped the food from his face and flung it back at her. "I know. You love me."

"This proves it then," said Thor as he smiled at Ana. "You are a true Lyttan. I had a feeling that you might be but to have the proof makes it much easier."

"Easier?" Bruce asked, looking at the god of thunder in surprise. "What makes it easier?"

Thor glanced at Bruce and gestured toward Ana. "I had told my father of the Red Lady and he was ecstatic to hear that a Daughter of Lytta still lived." He looked at her as he thumped a fist against the table, rattling cutlery as he did so. "My father has offered you a place in Asgard, Lady. We have all the records pertaining to your people, to your realm. At least, for the part of you that is not human. You can learn all you can of your ancestors. You will be one of the first humans to be welcomed in Asgard. I have told him of our battles together and he is most impressed. He wishes to meet with you and welcome you as daughter of our ally, Lytta and also as a new ally to Asgard. What say you?"

"You mean... I will need to leave Earth?" Ana stared at Thor as if she had never seen him before. It was too much information all at once. It was enough to learn that the part of her that was Cin actually had ancestors, a planet, a home...

To have Thor suddenly offer her a chance to learn of these people...

She would have to leave Earth in order to do so. She shook her head and glanced at Bruce, who was looking particularly tense. "What about Bruce?"

"Your mate," said Thor, his blue eyes focusing on the doctor. "My father did not extend the invitation to him. I am sorry. It will only be a temporary stay. I had explained to my father of your relationship but he felt it was best to invite only you. He says he will send you back to Midgard whenever you feel-"

The sudden slam of a heavy fist against the table stopped Thor from continuing, the fist bearing patches of green skin. "Ana is not leaving." Bruce was glaring at the god of thunder, his soft brown gaze now bearing a hint of green in them. "She is not leaving me. Not again. Not... _ever._ "

"Bruce," said Betty, looking worried as he took Ana's hand in hers and got up from the table, his chair falling back from the force.

"Bruce?" Ana was worried as he started to twitch, pulling her up with him, before he turned and walked quickly toward the broken patio doors, pulling Ana along behind him. He twitched again before he suddenly let out a bellowing roar, his frame exploding with corded muscle and ripped clothing. "Mine!" The Hulk roared as he took Ana in one massive arm and leapt off the balcony in a giant leap to the nearest building, Ana's cry if surprise echoing out behind them.

Silence fell at the mess left behind before Tony picked up a plate of eggs and tossed it at Thor. It landed right against his face before falling down to the table with a clatter, eggs dripping down from his cheeks and brow. The god of thunder had not reacted, he simply stared at the smashed patio windows.

"Way to go Point Break... You pissed off the Big Guy."

"I... didn't think-"

"That's your problem," said Tony as he finished his breakfast, glancing at Pepper and Betty, who were still staring out the broken windows in shock. "You don't think. If you'd remember the last time you pissed him off by nearly killing his woman, this time wouldn't have surprised you."

Silence fell again but this time it was thoughtful silence.

Tony continued to eat his breakfast and sip what was left of his coffee. He wondered off hand how long they would be gone this time.

-o-

Ana was breathless as the Hulk leapt from building to building in New York City, and then through suburbs and farm land, steadily making his way toward upstate New York. It wasn't until he found a secluded area in the Catskill Mountains that he had finally come to a stop. They were surrounded by nothing but trees, mountains, and a view of the distant horizon.

The Hulk walked in a purposeful manner as he made his way up a sharp incline toward what looked like an opening for a cave. He carried Ana close against his chest as he ducked his way into the opening of the cave. It was muted inside, the light from outside barely showing the rocky ground and ceiling. It was warmer though. Or maybe it was because the Hulk was giving off massive amounts of heat...

"Hulk?" Ana began as he took her gently in his large hands and held her up close to his face. "I'm not leaving. I never said I would. Not without you. You know that, right?"

"A... na..." he grumbled as he leaned forward and rubbed his forehead against hers. "Mi-ine..."

Ana could only let out a shuddering breath, feeling his warm breath against her cheeks. She couldn't feel Cin in any way. No pulsing warmth, no heat coursing through her veins... Why was she not reacting now that Hulk was here? Was she making a point? The Hulk had called her name after all... Not Cin's. He knew her name. He would call her when he wanted her or he would call her his fiery one. Those were his names for her. Now, he was calling her Ana...

The nervousness began to rise. He was wanting _her..._

"Hulk..."

"My... Ana..." He didn't respond to her call, he had held her carefully in one hands before savagely ripping her clothes apart with the other, leaving her utterly naked. "Mi-ine..." He groaned as he leaned forward, holding her carefully, as he took a breast within his lips and suckled gently on it, knowing how small she was compared to Cin. He set himself down on the ground on his knees while he continued his attentive suckling, getting himself comfortable.

"Ah, _merde_ ," Ana let out a surprised gasp at the sudden warmth that began to pool in the pit of her lower belly at the feel of those lips around her breast, that broad tongue swirling around her nipple. He had moved to her other breast as repeated the gentle suckling, the breathless gasp he got in response earning a grunt from him in return.

He then trailed his lips down across her stomach, his hand holding her firmly as while the other had spread one leg to the side. He could hear her protests, her gentle whimpers telling him to be careful but the breathless anticipation was there under the words. He smirked at this as he licked the inside of her thigh before moving closer and taking one, long stroke against her slit. Her sudden cry of shock was what he wanted to hear and he did again, this time the tip of his tongue swirling around that wonderful nub that always set her off.

"No, no, no," said Ana as she squirmed against his grasp, the sudden aching pleasure catching her off guard. He was being so gentle...

_Oh god, it felt so good_.

Her protests had turned to another cry of shock and she arched her back, her heart now pounding against her chest, though Cin did not respond. His swirling tongue had found its way right inside of her and was making firm, agile thrusts as he licked and suckled on her.

_Oh god,_ she thought, _this isn't supposed to feel so good... Not this good... Ah!_

Her body had twitched moment his tongue had withdrew and he gave a broad lick against her clit before suckling it in his lips, the tip of his tongue of swirling in fast circles around it. "O-oh god!" she cried out as her climax hit with the force of an oncoming freight train. She fell apart in his large hands, her body twitching and spasming as her screams echoed off the walls of the cave. Hulk had moved away from the apex of her legs and smirked at her as he released her leg. He still held her in one hand as he reached his other to rip apart his own pants.

Ana was a gasping mess as she looked at into his green eyes, knowing that he was going to want her completely. But, she was too _small_ for him... It just wouldn’t...

The sudden pulse of warmth from the base of her neck caught her by surprise. There had been no reaction all this time... Why was her other self now...?

The feel of heat coursing from the base of her neck, through the skin of her chest, stomach and down to the pit of her lower abdomen, was answer enough. The heat was pulsing in her womb and her heart was racing against her breast. The Hulk had freed himself from the constraint of his pants, his hardness large and prominent, Ana could admit she was intimidated. How could Cin even fit him? She was only seven feet. That was nearly a two-foot difference in height with Ana. He was so thick and _long_...

The answer to that mystery was answered by another pulse of warmth and Hulk's grumbling voice calling Ana's name as he lowered her down toward his arousal, one hand holding her waist and the other spreading her leg wide.

_There's no way, no way, no way..._

Her gasp was answer enough the moment the tip of his throbbing hardness had inched its way into the opening of her wetness. The coursing warmth at the pit of her lower belly that Cin was playing an active part in changing that part of her anatomy to suit the situation.

"A... naa..." Hulk groaned with longing, wanting this with her, with her quiet self. His hold on her tightened and he thrust up into her, her breasts bouncing. Her cry of sudden shock and pleasure, the feel of him fitting fully within her unlike anything she had ever felt. He actually _fit_.

_Cin... Cin... Why do this?_ Ana thought and she felt another pulse of warmth as he pulled out and thrust into her again, cutting off all thought of her other self. He was groaning, his eyes now closed as a look of utter bliss touched his face.

"My An...a..." He grumbled before thrusting in again.

_So big, so big, so big,_ was all she could think as she felt him pull out and thrust in again. The pulsing warmth from the base of her neck seemed to be urging her on to embrace this unique mating dance. The heated warmth in her lower belly rising with each strong thrust he gave in and out of her tight wetness.

_So good, so good, so good..._

"So... go-od," he groaned in echo of her thoughts, thrusting into her again as his deep voice cracked. "Lo-ove... My Ana..." He pulled out again, his breath coming in shuddering gasps as her own gasping cries joined his, the heat of pleasure in her lower belly growing taunt with each thrust he gave. "Never... Leave..."

He thrust in at that point, making her cry out in pleasure. He pulled out slowly, his green eyes focusing on her brown ones. "Nev-er..." He thrust in. "Lea-ve..." He pulled out. "Mine..." He thrust in again and began to shudder, his eyes closing as the pleasure could be seen on his face. "Say... it... Mine. My Ana!" He thrust in one last time, his declaration ending in a roar of release as Ana fell apart all over again in his arms.

With the sound of his words, the feel of his throbbing hardness, the feel of his warm seed filling her completely, she had come undone. "Yours! Al-ways!" she cried as her hands grasped his larger one and dug into the skin, her body convulsing with each passing heartbeat.

_So good, so good, so good! Love... him!_

That was her very last thought before blackness overcame her…


	34. To Feel the Shivering

_I just might bend but won't break_

_As long as I can see your face_

_When Life won’t play along_

_And right keeps going wrong_

_And I can't seem to find a way_

_I know where I am found_

_So I won't let it drag me down_

_I'll keep on dancing anyway..._

**Move** – Mercyme

-o-

Chapter 34: To Feel the Shivering

To feel the shivering on top of him was not something he had expected.

Then again, it was cold here, wherever it was...

Bruce opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself in a dark cave. The coming evening was a telltale sign to the chill and to find a shivering Ana on top of his naked self was very unexpected indeed. He felt the worry rise up in him as he automatically wrapped his arms around her and held her closer against his chest. She was deep asleep, stirring gently in his grasp but did not awaken. He tightened his hold around her as he glanced around the dark cave.

He could only think that the Other Guy had come out. Something had triggered him but Bruce could not recall what it was exactly. There were flashes of memories from the Other Guy, high emotional triggers that had remained with Bruce. They were flashes of Ana, her face thrown in moments of passion in this cave...

The worry began to grow worse as he glanced down at Ana. The Other Guy had been with her, that much he knew. Had he hurt her? From the flashes he could recall, Cin had not emerged. He hoped he didn't hurt her. It was different when Bruce was with Ana or Hulk with Cin. To have one with other was very rare. Bruce had been with Cin but his calm self could handle her tall frame. Ana with the Hulk... That was different story altogether. She was a short woman in her calm state, a simple five feet three inches. Cin was a full seven feet in height but still shorter than the Hulk. The Hulk's nine-foot broad frame compared to Ana's short stature was quite a difference. He really hoped he hadn't hurt her...

He reached up to brush the copper brown curls from her face and pressed his lips against her brow. "Ana?"

She didn't respond. She simply purred, a subconscious response to his voice, and continued sleeping. She was shivering in his grasp, despite how warm her body always was, and the red veins beneath the skin of her neck was very faint. This was something he had never come across before. Her red veins were almost nonexistent now.

He held her closer as he glanced around the cave, looking for something to wrap around her and keep her warm. He could see scraps of Ana's clothes, and remnants of his own pants, but nothing large enough to keep her warm. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, wanting to find something for his woman but not willing to move if it meant waking her up...

"Dr. Banner?"

A stranger's voice had called from the entrance of the cave, someone he had never heard before. He looked at the entrance of the cave and found the slight form of a woman standing there. He couldn't recognize who it was due to the lighting but he was sure was someone who knew who and what he was. The fact that they found him in this out of the way place was a given.

The woman had entered the cave and was careful to avert her eyes as she held a bundle of clothing in her arms. "Dr. Banner, my name is Cameron Nguyen. I work for Ana's mother and her aunt. Jenn had sent me here after you and Ana had disappeared from Stark Tower." She was looking embarrassed but still walked toward the couple, setting the clothes down beside them. She made sure to keep from glancing at the naked couple as she backed away and turned her back toward them. "Whenever you're ready, we'll take you wherever you need to go..."

"Ms. Nguyen," said Bruce, being careful as he sat up, cradling Ana in his arms as he looked at the other woman. "Thank you... I-I don't suppose that you could leave us?"

"Of course," she said. "I'll be right outside when you're ready." She left the cave and Bruce turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. He let out a soft sigh, his worry still growing, as he set her carefully down on the ground. He reached for the clothes and pulled out the ones for Ana. He studied her sleeping form and wondered if she would be all right... She'd never fallen asleep like this before. He was careful as he dressed her and then reached for the rest of the clothes. He was quick to dress himself, pulling on the loafers that were set aside, before reaching out to take the sneakers for Ana.

Once they were both dressed, Bruce gently ran his fingers along her cheek. "Ana?"

This time she did react and her lashes fluttered gently before they opened, focusing on his own. "Bruce..." A soft and tired smile touched her lips and the worry Bruce had been feeling disappeared at the sight of the love in her eyes. "No wonder... Cin keeps the Other Guy to herself... Promise we'll do it again..."

He actually chuckled at that and helped Ana to her feet, slowly and carefully. She was sore for good reason. "Come on Ana... Jenn sent someone to come get us."

"Oh, good..." said Ana, her smile still tired. "Is it Yann?"

"No," said Bruce. "A woman named Cameron Nguyen."

"Oh, Cammie," Ana said as she let out a yawn. " _Bien._ She's a sweetheart..."

Once outside the cave, they found the woman that Ana had affectionately called Cammie waiting for them. The sound of a helicopter could be heard in the distance and Cammie, who Bruce could now see was a lady of Asian descent, beckoned them to follow her. Their ride was apparently waiting for them.

"Cammie," Ana called out and gave a weak wave. "It's good see you again... Thanks for getting us. How are you feeling?"

"I feel great, thanks for asking Ana," she said with a smile as she led the way to the helicopter. "Yann is waiting. Did you want to head back to Stark Tower?"

" _Non,_ " said Ana. "I want to see Mama and _Tante_ Jenn. If that's all right with you Bruce?" She looked at the good doctor and the smile she gave him was a sweet one.

He smiled in return, knowing that he wouldn't deny her anything at this point. "That's fine. I'm sure Jenn will contact Tony..."

" _Oui,_ " Ana agreed as she stepped carefully down the trail. The helicopter could be seen resting on a level clearing ahead. "I'd like to get started on the plans for the reactor to be installed for Jenn..."

Bruce glanced at down her as he followed beside her and his smile was infectious. "So soon?"

"Of course," said Ana with a gentle giggle. "Thanks to Thor for setting the Other Guy off, I think it would be best."

Now he remembered. Thor had found proof of Cin's ancestry and he had invited Ana to go to Asgard without Bruce. Ana had not responded to the invitation because the Hulk had made an appearance. He couldn't stand the thought of Ana being a whole continent away from him let alone a whole planet.

"I'm not leaving without you," said Ana as they neared the helicopter. Cammie had stayed ahead of them to give them privacy and was already boarding the vehicle. Ana had stopped walking and looked up at him. "I had told the Other Guy and I am telling you, _mon amant._ I will not go anywhere far without you. I had promised that I would always stay close and I mean to keep that promise."

Bruce smiled down at the woman he loved so much and leaned down to press a firm kiss against her lips. "I know... The Other Guy just needed to be reminded..."

Ana giggled a little before taking his hand in her own and leading him to the helicopter.

-o-

Yann had flown the helicopter to the nearest airport, where from there they had taken a private jet that belonged to one Sido Brandt and flew to the lovely country of France. It was a long flight and Ana had slept the entire way against Bruce's shoulder. Bruce didn't mind and Cammie had laughed at the sound of her soft snoring.

It was late morning by the time they had landed in the _Bordeaux-Mérignac_ Airport and from there caught a connecting flight to the _La Rochelle – Île de Ré_ Airport, where a car had taken them for the long drive to a port town known as Royan. It was here that the ancestral home of the DuPont family was located on the outskirts of the resort town. And it was here where the infamous Jenn had her sanctuary and Sido Brandt had stayed for the last few months.

Driving through the back roads of this resort town, they had finally turned onto a long gravel drive that led toward an old two story, very large brick home. It was a quiet place but if one looked closely, you could see the telltale red lights of security cameras. The car had pulled to a stop by the front steps of the home and Cammie had emerged from the front passenger side. She opened the rear door for Bruce and Ana to exit the vehicle just as the front door was opened and a very worried mother had emerged.

"Oh, you two," cried Sido as she rushed toward them and hugged her daughter close before she moved to hug Bruce. "Can there be one day when either of you would not be set off?"

"Hello Mama," said Ana with a laugh as she watched her mother hug Bruce tightly, who returned the hug in an awkward fashion. He was still not used to Sido's affectionate nature but he was getting there.

"Hello Sido," said Bruce as he pulled away and smiled at Ana's mother. "I'm sorry for causing any worry for you all."

"It actually was a particular god's fault this time around," said Ana as she leaned in close to Bruce, hugging his arm tightly. The movement had brought a smile to his face as he visibly relaxed.

" _Ah,_ _oui_ ," said Sido as she waved Ana's comment dismissively. "Pepper had told us of all that had happened. Thor doesn't think before he speaks, does he?"

Bruce didn't respond to that but the amusement could be seen in his eyes. Thor did have little knowledge when it came to the aspects of humans. Still, he had a good heart and he had meant well.

"Never mind," said Sido as she took her daughter by the hand and pulled them further into the large home that belonged to the DuPont family. "Come in, both of you. You must both be so hungry and tired. Have you eaten? Of course, you haven't. Come, come. Let's get you fed."

Bruce had wondered where Ana had gotten her insistent attitude from. Now, he knew. He couldn't help but smile at the motherly ways of Sido, who continued to chatter away about everything that had happened thus far. This had been the first time he had come to Sido's home. The other times he had met with Sido, it had been at Stark Tower. He had been hesitant to come with Ana, mostly because he didn't want to accidentally damage anything that Jenn was connected to in the home if he and Ana might have gone too far. The Tower was different, since Tony had pretty much monster proofed it. This place had been adjusted to Cin's specifications but not the Hulk's.

"Don't worry about anything while you are here," said Sido, almost as if in reply to Bruce's thoughts, as she led them to the kitchens. "Tony had been very kind in offering some advice on how to set certain places to your... needs." At this, Sido giggled as she glanced back at Ana and Bruce. "So, if you both feel the need to go out of control... We'll be fine here."

Ana promptly blushed and started to protest, her words coming out in French, the tone of it apologetic. Bruce was blushing as well but he was laughing at the sight of mother and daughter conversing in French, both women blushing though Sido was laughing with every word. Ana finally gave up and continued to blush, holding onto Bruce's hand, as she kept her gaze down at the floor. Bruce had pulled his hand from hers and reached out to hug her close. The blush was still in her cheeks as she glanced up at him and smiled.

Having these two under one roof would be interesting…

-o-

Breakfast had been an interesting affair, mostly because the conversation had been held in French. Between Sido and Ana, Bruce had no idea what they were talking about but he figured it was of past events, since both were laughing.

After breakfast, Sido had shown them to Ana's room. It was a decent sized room that was done in soft shades of blue. It contained a canopy bed with blue curtains, a pine wardrobe, a loveseat that was set before a quiet fireplace, and large windows that allowed the sunlight to shine in. Sido had excused herself, stating she had several things to take care of for business. Ana had waited until her mother had left the room before she turned to Bruce, her smile expectant. "This may seem out of place but this is your first visit... Would like to meet Jenn?"

Bruce smiled in response, having just remembered that Jenn was under the same roof. "Of course," he said, "I'd love to."

Ana laughed and reached out to grab his hand before she pulled him out of her room. She led him down the corridors, down a flight of steps, and down another corridor that led to a single wooden door. She smiled up at Bruce before she reached out to open the door.

The good doctor could feel the nervousness rise up in him as Ana gently opened the door and walked inside to a very large room. Bruce had spoken with Jenn so many times but he had never seen her before. The large room Ana had led him into was covered from wall to wall in blinking computer servers though there were several windows that allowed the light in. In the middle of this room, a female nurse was taking care of another woman, who was lying in a large bed. The nurse looked up in surprise at the sound of the door opening but at the sight of who it was, she smiled.

"Ana," said the nurse in thick accented English as she moved over quickly to the couple and pulled Ana into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you. Jenn will be so happy to see you're finally here."

"Adeline," said Ana in greeting as she returned the hug. "It's good to see you too." She pulled away and glanced at Bruce, reaching out to take him by the hand. "This is-"

"Dr. Bruce Banner," said Adeline as she shook his hand. "The man who stole our Ana's heart. We know all about you here. It's so nice to meet you."

"L-likewise," said Bruce, slightly stunned at how welcoming she was being.

"Well, I won't keep you," she said as she released Bruce's hand and walked around them. "I'll give you some privacy. Just call on me if you need me." She looked past the couple and called out to the woman on the bed. "Jenn, I'm heading to the kitchens!"

" _All right Adeline, thank you,_ " said a familiar, computerized voice from a PA system that must have been installed into a surround sound. It came from everywhere in the room. The nurse smiled and left, closing the door behind her.

" _Well, don't just stand there Ana. Bring your man here so that way I can see him with my own eyes._ "

Ana laughed and pulled a hesitant Bruce further into the room. He followed behind his woman, his nervousness rising as they stopped beside the bed and Bruce finally was finally meeting Jenn face to face.

She was a beautiful woman, a younger version of Sido, with straight dark hair and pale blue eyes. However, her beauty was hampered down by the sight of several thick pieces of wires that were implanted directly into her skull, neck and spine. These were connected to the computer system that surrounded her, several monitors displaying her health status. Her face was set in a blank expression but her eyes had moved to look at the couple. One could tell that she wanted to smile at them but all she did was blink.

The voice that emerged from the speakers around them bore a hint of happiness. " _Dr. Banner... It is nice to finally meet you in the flesh. Goodness, you are a handsome one, aren't you?_ "

Ana started to laugh at the sight of Bruce's deep blush but he smiled at Jenn. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Jenn."

Ana had let go of Bruce's hand and leaned down to press a kiss upon Jenn's brow. " _Tante,_ I missed you."

Jenn blinked in response and her voice bore hint of longing. " _I missed you too my sweet. Hopefully, with Tony and Pepper's help, it won't be much longer. We'll be together again._ "

"That is why we're here..."

"Oui, _Tony told me of Thor's visit,_ " said Jenn, the look in her eyes one of deep curiosity and worry. " _Have you decided on what you wished to do?_ "

"Not yet," said Ana, reaching to take hold of Bruce's hand and gripping it tightly. "I want all of us together first, as a family, before I make such a decision. In any case, I won't go anywhere without Bruce."

Jenn's laugh sounded through as she blinked again, her pale blue eyes filled with amusement. " _Of course not. No one should have to ask either of you to part. Not when you had just found one another. It'll take time before you can get to that point of surviving as you had before you met. Your relationship is still new and your other selves are dependent on one another to stay calm at this point._ "

"Have you thought of moving to Stark Tower?" asked Bruce as he studied Jenn with interest.

Jenn's eyes glanced at him and she blinked. " _Of course. Since Tony and Pepper had told us they would install an arc reactor to my system. Sido and I have already started making plans of the move to Manhattan. Now that we have a way of staying close with Ana, it'll be worth it._ " She blinked again and her voice took on a hesitant tone. " _The only downside is that I will be offline during that time. When that happens, we will lose track of those we have been watching._ "

"We'll just have to trust the others," said Ana, though the look on her face was one of worry. "Perhaps we should fully involve SHIELD? I suppose they may consider me a part of the Avengers now, after all that had happened. Maybe they can help?"

" _It would be a risk,_ " said Jenn in reply but the tone in her voice was one of agreement. " _It may be for the best though. We'll need all the help we can get. I've been watching those at LIFE and they appear to be planning something. Though exactly what I haven't been able to find. They've been keeping their plans out of their systems. It seems they had learned after the last time._ "

"It'll be fine," said Bruce, squeezing Ana's hand. "We'll be prepared for whatever they might plan in trying to get Ana." He looked at her and pulled her close. "We'll be fine..."

Ana allowed a small smile to shine through the worry and leaned over to bury her face against his chest. He held her close and rubbed his cheek against her copper brown curls. Jenn saw all of this and though she could not smile, the tears could be seen in her pale blue eyes.

She was happy that her niece had finally found love in someone who would take good care of her. It was nice not having to worry as much as she used to. Since Bruce, Tony and the others had come into their lives, the DuPont-Brandt women had found things had gotten a little easier. Even if it meant that things would get a little harder in the future...


	35. The New Destination

_I am affliction_

_Through all confusion_

_I am the chaos_

_I'm the thing that makes you hurt_

_Laughing at your loss..._

**I Am Abomination** – Exodus

-o-

Chapter 35: The New Destination

The new destination for the residents of Stark Tower was to the lovely country of France, where Bruce and Ana had apparently jetted off to after their impromptu escapade in the Catskills Mountains. Betty had been hesitant to join but Tony had been quite persuasive. Mostly it was because of the fact that he had sent one of his own biologists on staff, who specialized in cellular biology like Betty, to substitute for her job at Culver college so that she could join in the trip to France to Ana's home.

Her bosses had not been happy at first but the substitute had worked out great and they had approved of her extended leave, as long as it was Stark Industries that continued to pay for the substitute. If it meant for them to save money, why not? Well, the decision had been made for her and now she was sitting in a private jet that belonged to one Tony Stark and staring out the window to the clouds and ocean below.

Betty had no idea why Tony had wanted her along in the trip. As far as she was concerned, she had no reason to tag along but Tony had insisted her expertise would be needed. Her PHD in cellular biology was going to put to good use with the coming project Tony had planned for Jennifer DuPont. Exactly how, he didn't explain right away. He said he needed to get a better idea once he met Jenn face to face himself but Betty would be needed regardless. Again, he didn't elaborate...

Betty sighed heavily as she placed her chin upon her hand and stared out the window, wondering where this path would lead her to now. She had hoped that after seeing Bruce again she would go back to her normal life. Or at least as normal as it had been for the past year. Now, she was flying off to France to the home of her ex's current girlfriend...

This just seemed like some awful soap opera yet she wanted to laugh so bad. How in the world would she had thought her visit would lead her to meeting not only Iron Man, but the infamous god of thunder? Sure, he was the god of Norse myth but to meet him in the flesh, a real live alien being from another planet, was something else entirely.

"You seem deep in thought my lady. Tell me, what troubles you?"

The deep voice that spoke to her had her glancing to the god that sat in the plush leather seat across from her. She allowed a hint of smile to touch her lips as she tilted her head a little, studying him. "I was just wondering what I had gotten myself into this time."

Thor studied her thoughtfully in turn before he adjusted himself in his seat and drummed his fingers against the leather arm of the seat. He seemed to find the jet ride rather tedious. He was a god after all. He could probably fly at a faster pace than this jet ever could. "You are a friend of the doctor's, correct? The Metal Man had said you knew of the Green one before any one of us had met him."

Betty huffed out a gentle laugh as she looked out the window, her dark hair spilling over her shoulder. "I was... an old flame of his. Before the accident turned him into what he is now..."

A moment of silence passed before understanding touched Thor's piercing blue gaze. "Ah, his first love." He gave a nod and leaned forward to get a better look at the human woman before him. "Yet, you had met the Red Lady... Are you not aware of their relationship?"

"I am," said Betty, turning her own blue gaze to him. "And I'm happy for him." She fidgeted in her seat, Thor's blue eyes seemed to look straight through her. It made her uncomfortable. "I can admit there is a bit of envy there but... Ana can be there for him where I never can be myself. She is like him and that is what he needs. Someone who can be by his side... No matter which side that is." She glanced out the window once again and sighed. "I can't do that. I'm simply just a woman..."

"You speak too little of yourself, my lady," said Thor as he continued to study her, his thoughtful gaze taking on a hint of sadness. "You are the woman who had first held his love. I am sure he still cares for you though perhaps not in the way that he used to. You are strong. You must be if you feel very little ill will towards the Red Lady."

"Ana is a good person," Betty said with a smile, finding it amusing how the god would refer to Ana as the Red Lady. "She makes Bruce happy. Why should I feel upset toward her? She hasn't done anything to me personally. She came into Bruce's life long after he had left mine."

"You do not wish for anything bad to happen to her?" he asked, now intrigued. "You do not wish to be in her place?"

Betty allowed a moment of silence to fall between them, wondering if there was something in Thor's questions that were of a more personal level. She focused her gaze upon his and firmly shook her head. "No."

Thor didn't respond, he simply sat back in his seat and glanced out his own window. The thoughtful look on his face was one of sadness. Betty could not help but wonder what it was that made this otherworldly man so sad...

Across the aisle, in another pair of leather plush seats, Pepper and Tony had been listening to the conversation between the two. They glanced at one another and Pepper simply smiled before she focused her attention back on the tablet in front of her. Tony glanced back at the two of them, the look on his face one of curiosity.

-o-

"They're on their way," said Ana with a smile as she walked into the bedroom. "They'll all be here soon. It's almost nerve wracking to think that Tony and Pepper will be here." She couldn't help but giggle as she walked upon her bare tiptoes across the lush carpeted floor toward Bruce. She still liked to walk around barefoot, that was something that hadn't changed. She loved it even better when they went to sleep at night because she had an excuse to sleep in the nude. It was currently well into the evening hours and the large house was quiet now that dinner was over with.

The good doctor was working on a computer that was set in a corner of Ana's large room. It had one of the touch screen monitors that he liked a lot and it currently displayed a diagram of Jenn's life support systems. He had pulled off the new pair of reading glasses that Sido had provided for him and glanced over at his woman with a welcome smile.

"That's good to hear," he said as held an arm out for her, an automatic gesture. She immediately slid into his embrace, his arm wrapping about her curvy waist and pulling her close against him. He had focused his attention back on the monitor and pointed his glasses at the diagram. "I'm going to need Tony's help with configuring the arc reactor to Jenn's system."

"Well, Jenn has the plans already, does she not?" Ana glanced down at Bruce, her fingers running gently through his wavy, dark brown hair.

"Y-yeah," said Bruce, his eyes growing unfocused at the feel of her fingers. "But Tony would have a better idea of how to implement it. They're his plans after all. Jenn isn't able to work through the physical aspect of installing it..." he trailed off, the feel of her fingers relaxing him like nothing else.

He set his glasses aside and turned in his seat to wrap both arms around her waist. He pulled her closer to him and rested his head against her bosom. "Ana," he said, his hold tightening around her as he inhaled the gentle smell of the cucumber melon soap she loved to use. "I love you... You know that right?"

"Bruce-"

"I love you," he said, interrupting her as he closed his eyes. "The Other Guy... He loves you too. Even if he may be... rough. He... I can feel it whenever we're close. He loves you. He would never wish to hurt you."

"You're still worried about yesterday," she said, reaching out to brush away that one lock of hair that always seemed to fall on the left side of his brow. It was one of the many things she adored to do him. She gripped his face in her hands and lifted it up so that he had no choice but to look at her. She leaned down to press her lips against his brow. "I know you love me. The Other Guy is a part of you so he feels that love." She closed her eyes as she pressed her brow against his. "I love you. Cin is a part of me so she feels that love as well." She took in deep breath and moved her head slightly to press a kiss against his cheek. "We are together, all sides of us. There is _nothing_ that we can do at this point that would make us hurt one another. Our love... it's unique but so very strong. Don't ever think that because we are together, no matter which form it is, that we would hurt each other."

"I know... but-"

"You still worry," said Ana with a gentle laugh. She kissed his lips softly and pulled away from his embrace. She took hold of his hands and pulled him up from the chair. "If you still worry... Then show me." She released his hands and went to close the door to the bedroom, locking it with an audible click. She turned back to him and held out her arms to him. "Show me your love Bruce. Slowly and sweetly... We haven't been calm... I crave that calm. Show me, please."

He didn't need to be told twice. He swallowed back the tightness in his throat and made his way toward her. He slipped into her welcome embrace, the feel of her arms around him the most natural thing he had ever, and hoped he would ever, feel. Their kiss was gentle, soft and sweet.

Their clothes fell away from searching hands and gentle caresses as he led her toward the bed. There was no urgency, no deep primal craving, just a sweet love. Her body was willing and craving as he slipped in between her parting thighs, his arousal seeking the warmth of her. The one true place that he felt at he belonged.

The moment he took that first slow thrust into her, her soft cry of relief allowed that one breath of soft elation to escape him. He reached out to hold her thigh as he pulled out and slowly thrust in, her warmth tightening around him. She reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down toward her. He allowed himself to be drawn close, nuzzling her neck as he continued in those soft thrusts. He immersed himself in her. His every thought was focused on the feel of her, the scent of her, the sound of her, completely surrounding him.

" _Le mien_ ," she breathed as he thrust into her and held himself firmly against her, rocking his hips against hers as her gasp of pleasure escaped her lips.

" _Toujours_ ," he replied with a shaky sigh, the pleasure beginning to build within him. He had heard that phrase in French many times over the course of their relationship. "Always," he repeated again in English, emphasizing how much she meant to him. He had learned the response to that a long a while ago and he always loved how sweet her cry of relief afterward was.

She began to tremble as her climax overcame her, her body tightening, her hold on him drawing him as close as possible to her. She almost seemed as if she was trying to join them even further. He closed his eyes as the feel of her warm, wetness tightened around him and his breath hitched as his own climax followed after. His thrusts became deeper as he let go, every pulsing release as he came into her knocking away every worry he had ever felt. All there was in the world was the two of them, joined in this soft, gentle, erotic embrace. It was pure heaven.

" _Je t'aime_ , my Bruce," said Ana as she dropped her head back against the pillow. "I love you..."

"Mine. Always... I love you," he said in response and pressed a firm kiss against her neck...

-o-

Dr. Parsons' new destination was anything but a five-star cruise.

He was shaking from head to toe as he walked down a very long, fluorescent lit hallway that led to holding cell. The guards that walked with him were rather stoic men of the Marine variety. They held rather impressive weaponry, they looked to be assault rifles, but Dr. Parsons was not familiar with weapons. He was nothing more than a quiet man of science. This place was the one place he did not wish to visit. However, since he had been so successful in persuading General Ross to their cause, it was left to him to persuade their next interest.

Their next person of interest was located in this place, which was not just any holding cell in any jail. It was a cell that had been built hundreds of miles below the Earth's surface located in a secret scientific facility simply known as the Homestake. It was located in a closed gold mine in South Dakota and was one of the most premier locations for experiments on dark matter and neutrinos.

It also was an ideal place to hold a scientific monstrosity prisoner.

There was much that could be allowed when certain government officials were given enough incentive. The visit with this particular prisoner was one of those allowances. The soldiers said nothing to him as they stopped before a heavily vaulted door. After going through a series of identifying scanners, the door released with a heavy hiss of air being allowed in and slid open.

Dr. Parsons took a heavy gulp as he glanced at the soldiers, who didn't look at him and simply waited for him to go through. He took in breath and stepped inside to a rather large, cavern that had only several florescent lights strewn about. He was standing on a metal grill that was situated nearly twenty feet above the floor of the cavern. He took a step toward the railing, his trembling hands reaching out to grab hold of the it. He didn't notice the soldiers stepping in after him nor of the door sliding closed behind them and locking them in with the prisoner.

His gaze was focused on the huge monster below them. It was some creature with murky brown skin, spinal ridges protruding along its back, a visible rib cage against its skin, and what appeared to be pure bone emerging from its elbows and heels. It had several, thick metal cuffs wrapped around its feet and hands, which covered them from view. A similar restraint was wrapped around its torso and neck. The restraints were all connected to a series of machines that kept the creature in check. Whenever it tried to move, the chains would tighten and a shock of electricity would course through its system.

Dr. Parsons was intimidated.

However, he continued on his mission and cleared his throat. "Emil Blonsky..." He nearly backed away from the railing the moment those horrible eyes of the Abomination had glanced up and focused on his. He stood fast though and continued speaking. " My name is Dr. Anthony Parsons... I'm here on behalf of an organization that wishes to offer you a chance for your freedom and perhaps... revenge."

The deep growl he received in response nearly had him release his bladder but he continued on, his trembling form leaning against the railing for support. "Just listen... I promise it will be worth your while..."


	36. The Night Sky

_Somewhere_

_Something is calling for you_

_Two worlds, one family_

_Trust your heart_

_Let fate decide..._

**Two Worlds** – Phil Collins

-o-

Chapter 36: The Night Sky

The night sky could be very beautiful here in Tromsø.

Considering that this quaint little part of Norway was one of the best places to see an Aurora Borealis did help in the fact.

The research facility that Jane Foster had been a part of for the last several months was indeed quite an exceptional place. Having been offered such an incredible opportunity, to not only continue in her own personal research, but to also continue in her search to find a way between Asgard and Earth...

She had thought of him so many times over the time that had passed since their parting. Did he think of her? Was he trying to find a way back to Earth as she was trying to find a way to Asgard? So many questions that had been plaguing her for over a year. All of it to be for naught...

She had seen the footage of the battles in Midtown Manhattan. It wasn't hard to pay attention when an attack from an alien army on New York City was all across international news. The sudden opportunity here in Tromsø came at a convenient time just before the attack happened... Had Thor made that possible with all that had happened? She had recognized him from the footage. The fact that he had found a way back to Earth had made her excited. Yet here it was three months later and he had not come for her as promised...

Was she so naïve to believe in such a promise from him? He was a male, regardless if he was not from Earth. Maybe all males were alike no matter what realm they were from. Jane sighed heavily as she turned away from her telescope and focused back on her notes. She did not see the flaming star that fell from the sky, a fiery cascade of brilliant light that landed a good distance north from the town...

-o-

Ana was drumming the nails of her right hand against the skin of her upper arm, her brown eyes were filled with worry as she paced the length of the corridor outside of Jenn's room. Every once in a while, she would tug on a copper brown curl then chew on a thumbnail before reverting to crossing her arms and drumming her fingernails against her upper arm. Her pacing was beginning to get on the nerves of one particular god of thunder, who was standing in the corridor with Ana.

They were not needed in the initial transition of installing the arc reactor into Jenn's life support systems. Sido, Bruce, Tony, Pepper, and Betty were all currently in Jenn's room and working. They had been for the past few weeks and today was the day that the arc reactor would finally be implemented. Ana had every right to be worried. This was her aunt's life on the line. If something were to go wrong...

"Do not worry Red Lady," said Thor, catching Ana's worried gaze. He attempted a reassuring smile, unsure as to how to offer comfort. "Your mate and your brother will do all they can to ensure that your aunt will remain safe."

Ana shook her head as she paused in her pacing and turned to face the Asgardian. "It's not only that... I worry about what will come after." She bit the nail of her thumb as she looked away. "I am considering in agreeing to coming to Asgard-"

"Really?" interrupted Thor, his smile was one of relief as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against. "That is wonderful news-"

"Yet," said Ana, holding up a hand to stop Thor from continuing. "I will not go without Bruce. He is my mate... My love... Surely, you can understand that?"

Thor had paused at the movement, his electric blue eyes studying her with slight apprehension. "I... can..."

Ana gave a nod, dropping her hand as she glanced at the door. "You owe Cin a debt..." She allowed this to sink in, the silence from the god of thunder all she needed to reassure her. She looked at Thor and allowed a small smile to come through. "Cin needs Hulk... I need Bruce... We need each other. We are still so new at this... Please, do not tear us apart." She took a step toward the god of thunder and placed a hand over her heart. "You owe us at least this... Please. Convince your father to allow Bruce to come with me to Asgard. That is all I ask." She glanced back at the door to her aunt's room and took in a shuddering breath. "I would be happy to swear my life and my allegiance to Asgard if only my mate is by side."

Thor was silent as he studied this strange woman before him. She was right. He did owe her a life debt... It was a fairly simple thing to ask of him considering he owed her his life. The matter was convincing his father of such a notion. However, he could understand quite well the depth of her love for her mate. He felt it for his own Jane after all...

"I give you my word Red Lady," said Thor, taking a step toward her and grabbing her hand in his. He lifted it and pressed a gentle kiss upon her fingers. "I will be sure that your mate will remain by your side should you come to Asgard."

Her smile was answer enough that he had made the right decision. They stared at one another, one other worldly being to another, before the door to Jenn's room had opened. They turned in unison toward the open doorway to find Tony Stark, a bright smile upon his goateed face.

"Lady and gentleman," said Tony, moving slightly from the doorway and opening the door a little wider. "May I present the new and improved... Ms. Jennifer DuPont..."


	37. The Door Had Opened

_I long to feel My heart burned open wide_

_'T_ _il nothing else remains_

_Except the fires from which I came_

_Like parted souls_

_Divided for an age..._

_'Cause I've been waiting_

_All my life, just waiting_

_For you to shine_

_Shine your light on me..._

**Nova** _–_ VNV Nation

-o-

Chapter 37: The Door Had Opened

The door had opened wider and Thor and Ana were greeted by the sight of Jennifer DuPont, standing on her own two legs. Her body was supported by a metal suit similar to what Tony Stark wore as Iron Man except it seemed thinner, not meant for use in battle. It was a more subdued color, blue and silver, and the core of the arc reactor glowed brightly in the center of her chest. Her black hair hung long and loose about her face and, though she did not smile, her eyes were filling with tears that refused to fall.

" _How do I look?_ " asked Jenn, taking another step and raising her arms out as if waiting to embrace someone. Her voice came out of a speaker located at the neck of the suit, which supported her head and allowed her to turn her head. " _I hope it's not too bad. I do rather like the colors..._ "

Ana let out a choking sob at the sight of her aunt standing on her own two feet. Jenn was perfectly fine and seemed perfectly at ease in the suit that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had designed. Her mother and Betty Ross had helped to implement the connection points of the suit to those of Jenn's non-responsive nervous system so that it activated to the responsive parts of her brain. The end result was an almost fluid and natural motion that came to the suit when Jenn moved. Though it was the suit that was moving her dead limbs, it was her brain that made the commands to do so. Of course, Bruce's expertise in all matters of bio-organics meant he was a shoe in for the final touches of the arc reactor while it was being installed into the suit.

" _Ah, tante!_ " cried Ana as she ran over to her aunt and was quickly swept up into a tight embrace that threatened to creak her bones. Her tears were falling freely as she had the first real hug from her aunt. She could feel the urgency in the embrace as Jenn hugged her tightly, her own tears finally falling.

" _Ana, it's so good to finally hug you with my own arms._ "

" _Tante,_ " Ana whispered as she tightened her own hold on her aunt. "My auntie... I'm so glad you're all right," she whispered in French and nuzzled the warm skin of her aunt's cheek, which elicited a giggle from Jenn and prompted her to hug her niece even tighter. Ana did not complain.

"So, do you like the suit?" asked Tony, watching aunt and niece hugging each other, the look in his eyes could be described as slightly envious. "I hope the colors work well. Jenn insisted-"

He was cut off as he was engulfed by the tightest embrace he had ever experienced. Ana had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and she was openly sobbing as she pulled Tony out into the corridor and buried her face into the crook of his neck. "My brother... Thank you..." Ana whispered, hugging Tony ever tightly as she nuzzled his neck.

Tony Stark was never one to be called an emotional man. However, the moment the woman he considered a little sister hugged him close and whispered her thanks and her love... He swallowed back the tightness in his throat and returned her hug, though awkwardly. "I-It's nothing, Ana... You know tha-" He was cut off again as Ana's hold tightened around him and she snarled her protest to his words.

"It is _everything,_ " said Ana, her words a husky growl. "Everything... My family..." Her words were whispered at this point. "My brother..."

Tony knew that this was a part of Cin coming through. Ana was more reserved than this, unless he provoked her in some way. Yet, he had not done anything to provoke her and still, Cin shown through Ana. She was so emotionally bonded to him that no matter what he did, Cin would shine through. He smiled at this and returned her hug, his movements sure and full of conviction.

"Anything for you little sister," he whispered in her ear.

A sob was all he received in response and he smiled at the sweetness of the hug he received...

"So, Ana approves of the color?"

Tony pulled away reluctantly from Ana as he smiled at Pepper, who was standing at the threshold of the open door. Betty and Sido were standing behind her, watching the two with open affection and amusement.

"I would take it as a yes," said Tony as he pulled away from Ana and pushed her toward the doorway. Sido, Betty, and Pepper moved away from the doorway with smiles on their faces. Bruce was standing there, looking slightly apprehensive as he wiped his hands on his pants.

"I-I hope it's what-" He barely got a word in edge wise before he was tackled and his lips covered by the softest pair of lips that he ever hoped to feel for the rest of his days. Bruce stumbled back but held on tightly to his woman as she showed him just how happy she was with what he had done to help her aunt.

"Goodness, I still can't get used to that," said Pepper as she turned away and giggled against Tony's chest.

Tony wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, rather glad that his girlfriend was one of the most intelligent women he had ever been blessed to know. Without her, this entire work wouldn't have been possible...

" _So,_ " said a familiar cool voice that caught everyone's attention. " _My niece and her man are supposed to go to Asgard... What are the plans to make that happen?_ "

All eyes turned back to the feral couple, who were standing in the middle of Jenn's bedroom and barely paying attention to the others. Ana was currently keeping Bruce's lips occupied and he was more than happy to oblige...

"I suggest we wait until they are done," said Sido, trying not to smile too much at the sight of her daughter and her mate. At this rate, it wouldn't be too long before she was dreading being a grandmother. She turned away and walked out of the bedroom, her steps light and full of bounce. "How about we all enjoy a nice breakfast? It has been a long night."

No one disputed this diversion. It was obvious that the couple they left behind would be enjoying themselves in a way that none of them wished to know of in a familiar manner. It was a blessed thing that the room was in a far end of the old home from the kitchens...

"I don't know about you all but a breakfast burrito would be good about now," said Tony, only to wince slightly as Pepper slapped him on the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?"

Pepper frowned at her boyfriend and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We're in old French villa. Burritos aren't something they would have on the menu."

"Actually," said Sido with a bright smile. "We do." She glanced back at the couple and tried not to look too amused. "My daughter has very peculiar tastes considering who she is and _what_ she is. It helped everyone involved to cater to her very specific needs. Her other self, Cin, rather enjoys the Mexican and Jamaican cuisine. A bit too spicy but," she shrugged as she led them toward the kitchens. "It keeps her calm."

"So... you have breakfast burritos?" asked Tony, looking expectant.

Sido laughed and nodded, "Yes, we can make them if you crave them."

" _I just look forward to actually eating on my own,_ " said Jenn, her movements rather erratic in the suit. Of course, she was quite excited so the jerky movements of her suit were to be expected. " _I wonder how real food will taste while I actually chew on it on my own..._ "

No one commented on this.

No one could.

None of them could understand the complete freedom Jenn now experienced after being a quadriplegic for most of her life. To finally have the freedom to move on her own... Yes, she was not connected to the main frame to monitor LIFE at the moment... Still, this was a freedom she had yearned for and she was not going to waste it.

" _Sido! Race you to the kitchens!_ "

She ran off ahead of her older sister, knowing full well she couldn't keep up. Sido stared after her younger sister and, knowing this was her inner child coming through, started running after her. " _Attendez-moi!_ ," cried Sido as she raced after her sister. "I'm not as young as I used to be!

Betty couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the two sisters and she was glad that she had taken part of this long and arduous procedure. She sighed softly as she hung back a little, watching Tony, Pepper and Thor walk ahead of her. She glanced behind her down the corridor of the old home, her yearning clear but her peace with the situation clearer.

"My lady, is everything all right?" asked Thor, who had been kind enough to stop and wait for her. The others had already followed after the sisters and were turning down another corridor. Betty glanced at Thor and gave a small smile.

"Yeah, thanks..." said Betty, turning her back and walking on, feeling stronger with every step.


	38. Her Kiss was the Sweetest

_It's one-two-three and suddenly_

_I see it at a glance_

_She's radiant_

_And confident and born to take this chance._

_I taught her well._

_I planned it all!_

_I just forgot..._

_Romance..._

_Sido, how could you do this?_

_How will we get through this?_

_I never should have let them dance..._

**Edit of Learn to Do It (Waltz Reprise)** _–_ Anastasia Film [1997]

-o-

Chapter 38 **:** Her Kiss was the Sweetest

Her kiss was the sweetest he had ever experienced so far in their relationship.

There was so much emotion behind her embrace, so much yearning, as her lips danced against his own. His arms had tightened around her waist before she had pulled away and placed her hands over his. "Come with me."

She pulled Bruce's arms from around her waist but held onto his hands, the look of longing on her face clamping down any questions he had. She kept hold of his hands as she pulled him out of Jenn's room and down the corridor, in the opposite direction of where they normally walked to reach the kitchens. Ana knew these corridors by heart and she led Bruce down one corridor and another before she reached a heavy oak door that had no door knobs and only a security panel imbedded in the wall on the right-hand side.

Ana reached out and pressed her hand against the panel. It scanned her hand print and beeped in recognition. The oak door unlocked and Ana pushed against it to show a corridor that Bruce had not seen yet. It resembled the rest of the house but Bruce knew that this was a place hardly used aside from Ana and her family. Along the walls, Bruce could see various pictures of Sido, Jenn, and Ana, all at various stages of their lives. All looking happy, sad, hopeful...

Toward the end of the corridor, Ana stopped before a large portrait held in a gilded frame. It was of a family that no longer existed. Bruce could see that the handsome middle-aged couple were of Sido and Jenn's parents. The younger versions of Sido and Jenn were easily the spitting image of their mother yet had their father's eyes.

Bruce could see the sad look upon Ana's face before she turned away from the picture and pulled Bruce down a short hallway and toward another oak door. This one had a regular doorknob and it was not locked as Ana twisted the door knob with ease. It opened out and Ana led him outside to a private garden. There were various hedges, bushes and seasonal flowers that were in full bloom all around. The path Ana led him down was tiled brick and the sound of their shoes could be heard thumping against the surface.

The vegetation was becoming thicker the further they went until the villa could no longer be seen. The path curved into a little thicket of trees and the sound of gushing water could be heard ahead. Bruce was greeted by the sight of a small pond with fountain spouting water from the very center. Lily pads floated serenely across its surface, the ripples distorting the reflection of the coming dawn above.

Ana had come to a stop at the edge of this pond and released Bruce's hand. She gazed at the rippling surface of the water, not saying a word as Bruce studied her beneath the dim light of the early morning. He swallowed back the lump in his throat as he moved to stand next to her. "Ana?"

"This was my sanctuary," she began, her brown eyes studying the fountain. "Before I met you, I was always so close to the edge... One small thing could set me off in a heartbeat and Cin would react to the perceived threat." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I was kept here during those times to protect my family and the people who worked for us... I was safe and it was quiet... But I was always alone."

She kneeled at the edge and reached out to run her fingers over the surface of the water. "This garden is enclosed from the outside world. The walls are too high for any wanderer to climb over, security had always been tight and Cin... _Mon dieu_ , she did not want to escape..."

"You've always been on the run," Bruce said gently, frowning lightly in confusion. "Why did you leave this place if you were safe?"

Ana frowned as she pondered the answer to that. After a moment, she glanced at Bruce. "I didn't want to be safe all the time. I wanted to live. I wanted to experience a normal life." She looked away again and continued to run her fingers over the water. "Despite what I am, I still had that dream of wanting to be a regular person... Mama didn't agree but she understood. So, we traveled despite the risks, searching for a way to cure what I was. One day, I will pay the price for making such a such a selfish decision." Her fingers paused in their movements and such a haunted look appeared in those brown orbs. "Those lives I had taken... I should have remained hidden. They would have remained alive."

Bruce understood well enough the guilt she carried but he was selfish enough to feel a flare of anger at her. He crouched down next to her and took a hold of her face, turning it gently so that she could look him in the eye. "Then we wouldn't have met... We would have never-" He stopped himself from saying the words. "I love you and I'm selfish to admit that. But no matter the mistakes we both made in the past, our paths had crossed here and now. I'm thankful for each and every moment I have with you Ana."

A soft laugh escaped from her, a sob mixing in with the sound. "This is what I am talking about. You come into my life with your shy smile and kind eyes. You've been nothing but supportive and... you've done so much for Jenn. I feel as if I'm not giving you enough in return."

"Ana, you're all-"

She cut him off with a sweet kiss, her hands gripping the nape of his neck tightly. She broke away from the kiss and pressed her forehead tightly against his. "Show me what you truly want... Show me what I can give to you."

"Ana, I don't-"

The grip on the back of his neck tightened and Bruce could feel the sudden intense heat coming from her touch. Several pin pricks could be felt against his skin and Bruce's heart gave a sudden lurch in response. "Ana, what are you doing?" He reached up to take hold of her hands to try to pull them from his neck but her grip was too strong.

Ana was rocking her forehead back and forth against his, her eyes moving from side to side behind her closed lids, looking as if she were reading something. It was but a moment later that her eyes snapped open and she looked into Bruce's gentle brown eyes, awe and love shining in her own. The intense heat faded from her hands and Bruce was finally able to remove them.

"What was that?" he asked, a part of him panicking slightly. Of course, he knew a part of Ana was truly alien. That had never bothered him but the feel of those pin pricks against the back of his neck. It was like she was trying to merge with him. "Ana?"

"I'll try," was all she said as she reached up to brush his hair from his brow. "I'll try. I can't promise it will work."

"Ana, I don't understand," he said. "What are you talking about?"

"Hulk," whispered Ana and she pushed Bruce back to the ground, knocking him over from his crouched position. "He needs to be aware. Cin needs him. I need you. We need you both. Maybe it will work this way..."

The tightness in his chest at the sound of the Hulk's name meant that the Other Guy had heard his woman's call. Bruce tried to clamp down on the sudden possessive conscience that was emerging from the depths. "Ana, I can't change here so close..."

"Not change," said Ana as she began to kiss him, her nimble hands already working on the buckle of his belt. "Just be aware of him." She pulled away to look at him and Bruce could see the slightest yellow glow in her eyes. The red veins in the sides of her neck had darkened but there was no anger or rage there, simply the purest love that Bruce had ever seen in her eyes. "Can you feel him? Is he aware?"

Bruce closed his eyes at the feel Ana's hands undoing his slacks, his body was already responding to her touch. He did not see the slight patches of green that appeared on his hands or the sides of his own neck. When he opened his eyes to look at her, they were that beautiful shade of green when the desire became too much. "He's... there. He's not trying to come out but... I can feel him."

Seeing the patches of green on his skin, Ana pulled away to pull off her shirt and bra, glancing at the red veins on her abdomen that were glowing with subdued heat. She could always sense Cin when she was close to Bruce. This time though... This time was different. She could feel the heat pulsing in her womb, a different sort of heat that was in no way connected to want.

" _Bien_ ," she said before reaching out to free his hardness from the constraint of his pants. He hissed at the contact and nearly groaned at the loss as she released him. She stood up to rid herself of the rest of her clothing and looked at Bruce, trembling slightly at the cool air against her fevered skin.

Bruce's gaze followed her movement as she walked toward him and moved to straddle him. His hands reached out to grip her by the hips, his desire for her always clear. "Ana..." he groaned he moment she had gripped his hardness and lowered herself down onto him. His groan became a soft gasp of shock as her wetness suddenly tightened around him and her body heat, always warm, began to rise slightly.

She lifted herself slowly from him, one stroke that robbed all thought from her mind as the pleasure began. This was so different though. It was calm and yet... She reached out to grip the back of his neck with both hands, the connection from before reigniting. She slammed back down on him and whimpered at the shock of pleasure that emerged. Her hands twitched as she stared at Bruce, watching as his green eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Oh g-god... I can feel you," he said, awe coloring his words. "How are you-"

She rocked against him as she pressed her forehead against his once more. The connection was nothing like what Cin had done in merging with Ana but it was close enough. Their consciences were connected in a way that was much more intimate. Each jolt of pleasure from her movements could be felt on both ends, intensifying their connection. The Hulk and Cin were aware of all that was going on, feeling each and every movement that their calm sides were experiencing. Four different consciences all aware, all moving in sync.

The physical changes were minute but it was all that was needed...

Bruce was gasping and rumbling deep in his chest, his green eyes focused on his woman as she continued moving against him. He could feel everything from her, from Cin... It was incredible.

This was completely different from anything they had done before. His heart was pounding hard against his chest as he tightened his grip on her hips, her sudden trembling form catching him off guard. He could feel her mental state of pleasure before her body had even registered the explosion that was soon to come. He moaned in complete ecstasy as he twitched against her, moving with her, their love-making in perfect unison.

With a final thrust upward, a tightening of heated bodies and gasping shouts and screams to the sky, they all fell over the edge together. Their climaxes unlike anything experienced before. It had not been mad desire or calm love. This was completely different. A merging of the two in the hopes of forming one...

-o-

A month had passed since that unexpected joining in the private garden of the DuPont Villa.

The group had returned to Stark Tower with Sido and Jenn in tow. She was enjoying her new-found freedom in her own suit and the moment she had connected directly to JARVIS it was as if had been meant to be. Jenn had never been more in love with a computer than she had at that moment. The sheer power of Jarvis' system was immense. For a hacker like Jenn, it was heaven.

Shortly after that, SHIELD had then been contacted directly by Jenn as a way of introducing herself, Sido, and the corporation that they ran to protect Ana. Now that things had changed drastically it was time to come out into the open. At least by SHIELD's standards.

Fury had not been happy when he found out the reasoning behind the mysterious blank spots that had been in regard to Anamaria Brandt. He would have taken it as direct breach in national security. If Agent Coulson had not kindly stated that if it were not for those people, he would not have been alive today to continue enjoying his job.

Hesitance was all there was on Fury's part but the fact that Jennifer DuPont was willing to offer her services to SHIELD should they be in need, was what kept him from acting on anything. Since she was now contracted with Stark Industries, who was the reason for current state of existence, her obligation was to them first.

It took some delicate negotiating but eventually the two separate parties were able to come to an agreement.

And it was at this stage in the game that Thor, Bruce and Ana were preparing for their trip to Asgard...

-o-

"My friend, we will be leaving soon. You will be by your mate's side. Why do you seem so sad? This is a happy occasion!"

Bruce looked at the large blond as the Asgardian slapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not sad," said Bruce in reply as he glanced back at his woman, who was talking to Betty and Pepper. They were all standing in the living area of Tony's personal apartments in Stark Tower. Everyone had gathered together to see Bruce and Ana off as they prepared for their trip to Asgard.

"I'm just... worried." He frowned lightly, unsure about where these feelings were coming from. Ever since that day in the garden, he'd been feeling more attuned to Ana's state of being. There was something... different. She didn't look different, act different or sound different. But there was something...

"You worry too much," said Thor, slapping another hand down on his shoulder as he let loose a hearty laugh. "Things will be fine. To be honest my friend, I cannot wait to return to Midgard after this mission is complete. I will finally be free to find my Jane."

Bruce allowed a smile to appear at this, glancing back at Thor, whose blue eyes were gazing off into the distance. Ever since they had returned from France, Thor has spoken nonstop of finding the woman he had fallen in love with over a year ago. He had promised he would come back for her and now he would keep that promise...

He was distracted by the feel of a very warm body against his, warm arms wrapping around his waist. He returned the embrace and lightly kissed the copper brown curls that were currently tucked against the crook of his neck. "Hey."

"Hm," was all Ana said in reply, seeming content to just be held. Thor smiled at the two of them before leaving them to their privacy.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked, moving his head slightly to try to get a look at her.

"I'm... happy," said Ana, not looking at him though her arms tightened around him. "I'm very happy... and scared." She laughed at this and finally pulled away slightly to look up at the good doctor. "This trip is going to change things, isn't it?"

Bruce studied her face before sighing heavily and planting a firm kiss against her brow. "It will," he said in agreement. "But you need to know about Cin's past. If this is the only way to do it then I'll be right there with you."

A small smile played on her lips before she hid her face within the crook of his neck again. She held him firmly and sighed heavily, wondering if the changes she was already feeling were hinting at something to come.


	39. A Portal to Another World

_My life before you_

_I was a flame burning down_  


_I was burning out..._

_But you knew me better_  


_For you there was never a doubt..._

_That spark, that shot to the heart,_  


_You are the hope that leads me out of the dark..._

_You put this light in me..._

\- Brandon Heath

-0-

Chapter 39: A Portal to Another World

A portal to another world was not something Bruce Banner had ever thought possible. Plausible? Yes, but not possible. Yet, considering the life he had lived so far and the people he had met, the plausible was quickly becoming possible...

-o-

Ana was saying farewell to her mother and her aunt, the look in her eyes could best be described as heartbreaking. She was leaving the only family she knew to chase after an unknown past, a past that belonged to the inhuman part of herself. There were no guarantee that she would find the answers she sought but it was a step in the right direction to better understanding the part of her that was all feral. To find the why behind the how and what.

Sido was trying her best not to cry as she hugged Ana closely and tightly. "Promise me you will be safe," she whispered against Ana's curls, her hold tightening around her only daughter. The unspoken words could be felt in the familial link between them.

_Please don't forget us... Please come back..._

Ana quickly shook her head, returning her mother's fierce hold. "I'll be fine. We won't be gone long Mama. We'll be back before you know it..."

Bruce was watching his woman as she held onto her mother and then her aunt. He took in a breath as he turned to glance out the patio windows to catch sight of Thor standing out on the balcony, staring up at the skies above, looking deep in thought. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he felt a fist bump up against his bicep. He turned to look at Tony, who had stopped beside him, his gaze on Ana.

"All set for the trip?" asked Tony, the look on his face was of nonchalance but Bruce knew the playboy well enough. He was upset at the thought of his close friend and little sister leaving. He had folded his arms across his chest and the look in his hazel eyes was distant. He glanced at Bruce, giving him a once over, before quickly looking away. "You aren't bringing anything with you?"

Bruce kept his gaze on his closest friend, his own soft brown gaze reflecting the usual nervousness he felt when facing the unknown. It had been absent from his gaze since taking up residence at Stark Tower. Now, he was resembling the man who had been on the Helicarrier. "Thor said that they'll have all we need at Asgard. It'll be easier to travel through the portal with little as possible to drag us down."

Tony gave a huff in response but said nothing else. They stood that way for some time before the playboy finally turned his gaze slightly toward the good doctor, not quite looking at him. "You two better come back soon. We have a lot of projects in the works and I need you here for advice."

Bruce smiled at this as he looked at his fellow "science brother," as Ana affectionately referred to them, and gave a nod. "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."

Tony cleared his throat, glancing sideways at the good doctor, before giving a quick, jerky nod and slapping a hand on Bruce's back. "Good," he said then turned around and walked off without another word, heading to his office. Bruce simply stared after him, the smile remaining on his lips.

"Bruce?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned slightly to find Betty smiling up at him, her big blue eyes filled with tears. She glanced over at Ana before looking back to him, her gaze filled with unsaid words. "So, this is goodbye again..."

"No," said Bruce, turning to face her properly and pulling her into a tight hug. "This time... This time it's a 'see you real soon.'" He heard Betty's tearful laugh and he smiled, tightening his hold on her as she returned his embrace. "Thank you for coming to find me Betty..."

"Always for you Bruce," said Betty as she pulled away and looked up at him. "I left my contact info with Tony and Pepper so when you and Ana come back, you can reach me when you need to."

Bruce's face fell slightly at these words. "You're leaving?"

Betty nodded as she took a step back, putting a comfortable distance between them. "I have to head back to Culver, I... just have a lot to catch up on."

He caught the hesitant tones in her voice and he knew it was for other reasons that she was leaving. He gave a single nod in understanding as he glanced over at Ana, who was now saying goodbye to Pepper. Three was a crowd after all and despite how supportive and accepting Betty was, she was still feeling hurt. It was a hard thing to get rid of such a love in over a year. Bruce still loved Betty in a way, he would always love her, just not the way he had before.

Meeting Ana had not changed that fact alone. It was his self-isolation that had changed it, his acceptance of a lonely, cursed life because of what he had become and what he had dealt with. His feelings for Betty were something that he accepted as something of the past, a wonderful memory but not anything he could renew with the life he had now. He had hurt her terribly once before, he could not do it again to someone else...

When he had met Ana, it was as if he had been slapped awake from the slump that had been a part of his daily routine for so long. Her presence had brought his spirits up, brought that needed calm, and the fear that had been there at first was obliterated the very moment they had become intimate. Here was his second chance. His chance of not being alone...

Now Betty was the one alone, cursed with her own feelings and longing for the memory of what had been. He didn't argue with her, he understood better than she knew. "I'll be sure to call you the moment we get back," was all he said.

Betty smiled, the tears in her eyes now falling as she studied his features, looking as if she were taking one last memory of him. In this moment in time, with the unspoken understanding between them, they were simply Bruce and Betty, as they had been once upon a time...

Clearing her throat, she looked away, breaking the intimate moment and glanced over to Ana. The other woman was watching them, had been from the moment Bruce had hugged Betty, but Betty did not see anger or jealousy within Ana's brown eyes. She saw sympathy and understanding and Ana had simply smiled at her, giving a nod as if to say, _I know... It's all right..._

Betty smiled in return, grateful once again that Bruce was with someone who he never had to fear of hurting and who would take care of him. She quickly closed her eyes and sniffed, suddenly eager to get away and get back to the dullness of her life before. However, she knew there was no truly going back. She would just be as she had been for the past year and a half, simply existing...

She smiled at Bruce, reaching out to brush that stubborn lock of brown hair that always fell over the left side of his brow. She whispered a tearful goodbye before turning and leaving Tony's personal apartments altogether. Everyone watched her go and everyone understood her reason for why.

Bruce watched Betty disappear into the elevator, his heart giving a guilty twinge. He looked around to Ana, his heart aching slightly as he saw the sad smile on his woman's lips, the understanding, and the love. The love that filled his own heart at the sight of this was not from him alone, the Other Guy was echoing his thoughts.

_Mine... Always..._

He watched as his woman quickly excused herself from Pepper's company and made her way quickly over to him. She was by his side in an instant and the feel of her warm hand in his quickly amplified the love his heart. Regardless of the past, this moment was here and now with Ana and Cin, who he – and the Other Guy – loved dearly.

"Are you sure you want to do this, _mon amant_?" asked Ana, her brown eyes studying him with worry. "We can stay Bruce... Just tell me and we will forget this whole thing."

"I'm fine," said Bruce, his hold tightening on her hand as he leaned in to press a firm kiss against her lips. "Let's go find Cin's past..."

-o-

The swirling vortex of clouds, thunder, and light that swirled above Stark Tower was quite a show. Thor, Bruce and Ana were waiting at the end of the long, runway, platform that Tony normally used to take off as Iron Man. The rest of the group was watching from the large balcony, their breaths bated as Thor raised his hammer to the sky.

"Heimdall! We are ready!"

A bolt of white lightning struck down from the vortex and connected with Thor's hammer. An array of sparking electricity filled the air and surround the small group in a barrier that jolted in a haphazard sphere. Ana drew close to Bruce in both comfort and fear, his arms already wrapping around her tightly. The only ones in the group who knew of how it felt to go through a portal was Thor and Cin, and at the moment Ana did not have access to those memories to know the proper way of moving through a wild vortex. The moment they were shot up into the air in a shaft of rainbow light, the fear, the tension and the emotional turmoil she felt all at once was what would be the trigger to the chaos that would wait at the other end. However, at this time, they were nothing more than a sphere of rainbow light that shot straight up toward the swirling vortex of clouds, disappearing from sight.

Sido continued to stare up at the sky long after the swirling clouds had disappeared, the ache in her heart refusing to leave. She took in a shuddering breath, the fact that this was the first time in near fourteen years that she had let her daughter go was something she had never experienced before. Ana had always been with her and now...

" _It will be fine Sido,_ " said Jenn, who had walked up silently behind her and placed a cool metal hand against her sister's pale cheek. " _She will be home before you know it. It is only natural for children to leave the nest."_

Sido glanced at her younger sister, her blue and silver suit shining beneath the light of the sun that now shown. "I know, _ma soeur._ It does not stop the hurt though..."

Jenn gave a nod and simply reached out to wrap a metal arm around her older sister's shoulder...

-o-

The ride through the portal was a flash of colors, flashing sights of distant galaxies, and a rush of powerful winds. Bruce held tightly onto Ana the moment he felt her tension rise from the take off. He had closed his eyes against the sight of their dizzying surroundings and hoped that the ride would soon be over. They were moving at such a force, Bruce was worried in spite of the protective barrier that surrounded them. The moment he felt Ana twitch in his arms, heard her soft groan as if in pain and then her sudden stillness, his worry turned quickly to panicked fear and then fierce, protective anger.

Thor had not noticed the sudden change going on behind him, he was concentrating on maintaining the protective barrier around him and his guests. He could withstand the force of the portal but humans were more fragile and with these two, who had the ability of changing at any mere threat, needed more protection just to keep them calm.

They had landed on a broken bridge of light that led toward a vast city of staggering towers and spiraling buildings that floated amidst thick clouds and sharp cliff faces above a wavering sea. The sea fell over the edge of wherever this realm was, a hint to the strangeness of the new world they were in. Up above and down below, where the sea ended, the universe seemed to begin and have no end.

Thor had braced himself for the landing and it merely jarred his bones. He took in a breath of the familiar Asgardian air as he stood up to his full height. He was greeted by the sight of not only his father, Odin and mother, Frigga, but also of his closest friends and brothers/sister in arms. They had stood behind the rather tall and stoic form of Heimdall, his gold armor gleaming beneath the sunlight of their realm. His sword was powered by that of Odin's, the power giving the guardian the ability locate and open the wild portal that every so often connected between Asgard and Midgard.

Thor gave a broad smile in greeting at the sight of his parents, he had not been expecting them to be there to greet him. "Father! Mother!"

He would have gone to embrace them if the sudden tense form of his father and his comrades did not alert him to the fact that something was very wrong. It wasn't until he sensed a familiar large presence behind him that he finally turned around. He nearly groaned at the sight of the large, green form of the Hulk looming over the limp form of Ana in his huge hands. He was growling in a threatening way, glaring at the strangers and pulling Ana close against his chest.

Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three, took his weapon to arm as he stared at the Hulk, his wide girth made more threatening with the thick muscles that made up his arms, though he could not compare to the nine-foot frame of the Hulk's mass. His auburn hair stirred in the rising breeze of the sea around them as he tightened his hold on his weapon. "Thor, step away! There is monster behind you!" He rushed forward from his place among the group in his earnest to protect his comrade from the hulking thing that had hitched a ride with the heir of Asgard.

What he had not expected was for Thor's hammer to block his attack and for the heir himself to stand between him and the green creature. "Are you mad Thor?" he shouted, nearly wincing at the sound of the huge roar that emitted from the Hulk. "Why are you protecting this monster? He means to attack!"

"You mean to harm!" shouted Thor back in return, his blue eyes growing fierce. "That is the mate of the daughter of Lytta. If you attempt in any way to harm him, she will be most displeased." He took in a breath, still struggling against the force of his friend's determination to get past him to the Hulk. "My father had wanted her to join us here. She would not unless her mate was here with her. I owed her a life debt... That is why he is here." The struggling continued a moment more and Thor shook his head slowly. "Please my friend, they are my allies. They mean us no harm unless we mean to harm them in return..."

"Volstagg," called out a woman's voice, the sound of it regal and full of prestige and power. Everyone glanced back at the sound of it, the voice coming from the Queen of Asgard herself. She was a tall, graceful woman cloaked in a dress of white and gray. Her blonde locks were piled high atop her head in a cascade of curls. Frigga had stepped away from her husband's side, having caught sight of the unconscious woman within the Hulk's arms. "Stand down."

"M-my Queen," said Volstagg in slight protest but at the sight of her walking toward them, he immediately halted his attempts at getting to the green creature. He moved away from Thor and bowed in courtesy to his liege queen. She nodded in return before she turned to her son and reached out to gently brush her fingers against his bearded cheek. She smiled at him, the look in her eyes asking him to trust her. Thor understood and nodded before moving away to let his mother pass.

The Queen proceeded toward the Hulk, whose grumbles of warning could be heard. She stood before him, looking up at the great creature, before glancing down the human woman within his arms. "Welcome Green One," she said with a smile. "Please forgive our warrior for his rude greeting." She took in breath and gestured toward the man in question "He is not well-known for his manners. I do hope you can forgive us." She glanced up at him, studying his fierce green eyes, before looking down at the unconscious woman. "Your mate seems unwell. If I may, would you permit me to look at her?"

The Hulk studied the Queen with an appraising look before he grunted and very gently held out his mate for the Queen to look at. "A...na..." was all he said as he looked at his woman, the gaze in his eyes filled with love.

Queen Frigga was nearly breathless at the sight of such raw emotion on display and she couldn't help but smile at him. No matter the fierceness this creature may project, to have such love for another meant more to her. "That is her name? Ana?"

The Hulk grunted but said nothing else as the Queen leaned over and placed a hand upon Ana's forehead and another hovering over her breast. Her hand above Ana's heart moved slightly down as she concentrated, her eyes growing distant, before it stopped right above Ana's lower abdomen. Frigga's eyes snapped into focus and she stared at her hand above the woman's lower ab. She looked at Ana and then up at the Hulk. "Would you mind if we take her to our healing chambers? She needs attention after enduring such a trip. Her fainting spell is not uncommon for such a journey. She will be just fine once she rests."

The Hulk, studying the Queen again, grumbled as he looked down at his mate. He leaned down to rub his forehead gently across hers before holding her out further toward the Queen. A gesture that Frigga took as consent. She smiled in relief and quickly called upon Sif, the single female warrior among the group, to take the daughter of Lytta from her mate's hands and to be _very_ gentle. The Hulk did not seem to mind if another female were near his mate.

Sif complied, moving forward quickly and bowing her head in respect to the mate of the Lyttan, before carefully taking her from his large hands. The Hulk stared at the strange female who took his woman away before he went to follow, not wanting to lose sight of her. The other warriors stood aside to let the beast past, knowing it better to just let him go.

Thor stared after them as they walked down the bridge of rainbow light toward the city. After a moment, he looked at his mother and frowned lightly in confusion. "Mother, is the Red Lady all right? She had seemed alright before we traveled here. I had made certain the barrier was strong."

"It was the stress," said Frigga in return as she looked at her son. "It happens to those who are with child. That is why it is unwise to make such a journey in such a state. I suppose you did not know if you took such a risk."

Thor nearly paled at those words and shook his head, looking as if he had not heard correctly. "Wh-what?"

That confirmed Frigga's thoughts and reached out to brush his long, golden hair from his brow. "I suspect they do not know either or else they would not have dared to make such a trip. Do not breathe a word to them. I will speak with Lytta's daughter myself." She leaned in to kiss her son's cheek. "Welcome home my darling," she said, before she walked toward her husband to place a gentle kiss upon his cheek, and then proceeded back toward the city.

The Asgardian men were simply left on that broken bridge of light, unsure of just what had transpired or how to even react.


	40. The Falling Star

_I wish I was strong enough_

_To lift not one but both us_

_Someday I will be strong enough_

_To lift not one but both of us..._

**Both of Us** _–_ Taylor Swift

-o-

** Chapter 40 ** **: The Falling Star**

The falling star had not been a falling star as so many had thought it was.

It had not been a meteorite or any other space debris, as so many had hoped it had been, though it had reported as such by those who caught wind of such things. The falling star had been an alien. An alien that Jane had found and brought back to the observatory base over a month ago. She could not understand what the alien, who looked like a human male, was saying the moment he had awoken. After all, she had found him naked in his crater; unconscious save for a few deep rises and falls of his breath. He had reminded her some much of that time when she had first met Thor, when he too had fallen from the sky...

She, and her team, had taken him in and nursed him back to health. Of course, she knew that her team was in the pocket of SHIELD. Yet, to have found this alien being meant much more to her. She had found a way that would lead her to her Thor...

The alien was a tall male, all wiry muscle and lean of frame with a ruggedly handsome face. His dark hair was long and in frazzled waves while his skin was a deep, russet color that would have made any person who tanned on a regular basis jealous. His deep blue eyes were once again studying Jane with slight curiosity and wariness when she came in to talk to him that day. He had been staying at the facility for a well over a month now, having been offered a room of his own in which to gain his strength back. However, throughout the entire time he had not uttered a single word since the first day he had awoken. He seemed keener in studying Jane then in trying to communicate with her in anyway. Especially when she spoke to him, his gaze seemed to focus on her lips, as if he were trying to read each syllable she spoke.

She had found him sitting at the metal table in his room, his lean frame looking quite comfortable and normal in a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt. His sneakers were thumping against the linoleum floor, a timeless beat that left little for the woman to wonder on his state of being. She went to take a seat in the folding chair across from him. He was impatient today. His gaze was focused on the surface of the table before him, though his body was tense, each muscle poised as if ready spring.

"Hello again," said Jane, a bright and ready smile on her face as she set her folders down on the table before her. She flung back her straight, brown hair and straightened out her blouse before clasping her hands on the table. "How are we doing this morning?"

He didn't say anything in response, which was normal, and Jane proceeded to open up one of her folders, which contained all of her observations of him so far. As she got ready her pen, about to take further notes on the non responsive alien, the slight creek of his wooden chair caught her attention. She looked up and into his blue eyes, nearly paling at the sight of red veins that were now pulsing within the skin of his neck, that which could be seen through his long, wavy hair. She had seen something like that before...

He had leaned forward in his hair, the look on his face set with conviction. "Where... sister?" he asked in a deep, guttural voice, his blue eyes flicking between her own. "Where...?"

Jane nearly dropped her pen, caught completely off guard by the sudden words that had escaped his lips. "Wh-what?"

The man leaned away from her and the frown on his face grew. "Er... in... Sister. Where...?"

"Air... in?" Jane was so surprised at the sudden words he was forming in coherent enough English but she had caught on quickly to what he was asking for. "You're looking for your sister? Is that her name?"

The frown on his face gave way to slight relief as he reached up and pounded a large fist against his chest. "Sister... Er-in..." He held out his hand and closed it into a fist, indicating something but what Jane had no idea. He opened his hand before he closed it once again, pounding it against his heart before holding out his other hand to the air. "One... Split." He indicated himself, staring intently at Jane, the look in his blue eyes meaning he hoped she would understand. "Er-ai," he said before motioning to the hand that was held aloft. "Er-in. Sister. T-two..."

"Your twin..." muttered Jane in awe, completely flabbergasted that he would learn even a slight fraction of the English language in the span of a month without anyone teaching him. "You're here because you're looking for your twin sister. Erin? Is that how you pronounce it?"

Relief, pure and simple, was all that could be described on the face of the alien man, who Jane now knew was named Erai. He had dropped his hands and leaned forward in earnest, the red veins in his neck deepening. "Sister. Where...?"

Before Jane could respond, the door to the room had opened and three people had walked in. Two of them were men, who were wearing the infamous black suits of SHIELD operatives, and the last was a female, who wore a full navy blue and black bodysuit. Her vibrant red curls added a splash of color to the dark colors that adorned her but the look on her face was that of one who was not to be messed with. "Ms. Foster-"

The sudden growl that emerged from Erai was a familiar if deeper growl that the redhead knew very well. The tall alien male had leapt from his chair, pulled Jane out of her own chair and behind him, before his growl grew deeper as the sight of red veins became prominent against his visible skin. The slight yellow glow in his eyes, which remained fixed on the redheaded agent, left little doubt. This was a survivor of the alien race that Cin originated from.

"Congratulations Ms. Foster," said Natasha Romanoff, as she studied the tall male specimen before her. "You have found yet another alien." She focused her deep green eyes on the other woman, trying not to crack a smile at the stunned look on Jane's face. "I wonder, are you some kind of magnet for the extraterrestrial? If so, we could really could use your talent..."

Jane had nothing to say, she was still surprised at the very feral nature of the alien male that stood protectively in front of her...

-o-

" _Tony, will you stop pacing? You're making me dizzy._ "

"They said they would message us as soon as they arrived," said the playboy in response, glancing at Jenn with slight annoyance before he continued pacing the small area in his office.

Jenn was sitting comfortably on a black leather chaise by the large windows of his office, a long dark cable extending from the base of her neck and into the nearby wall. She had such a contented look on her face as her personal system worked in sync with that of JARVIS. The computer was currently connected to the Stark satellites that were focused on picking up any signal that would come from Thor's neck of the woods. Jenn was there to decipher the signal, who knew the signals her niece's tracking implant gave off better than anyone. After all, she had designed it. No other satellite in existence could pick up the frequency Ana's implant gave off, save now for Stark Industries. A small exchange for gaining access to a large array of satellites.

"Oui, _and_ _she will the moment she is ready to,_ " said Jenn, closing her eyes and focusing on the scanning. " _It is as I told Sido, do not worry. Ana is a strong woman and who is focused on the needs of her family. She will contact us the moment she is able to._ " There was a slight tone of worry in Jenn's computerized voice, as if she wasn't too sure if that would be the case.

Tony had certainly heard it and he stopped in his pacing to glance at the woman in the blue and silver metal suit. He turned slightly and walked toward the chaise that Jenn was currently sitting on. He watched as she opened her pale blue eyes before they moved up to meet his hazel ones. "What do you know?"

Jenn didn't reply at first, she merely blinked, before the neck of her suit allowed her to move her head in a nod. " _I'm not sure as of yet. I won't be until I can see Ana again and run some tests. Just... do not repeat this to Sido. I do not want to get her hopes up._ "

"Jenn," growled Tony, thrusting a hand into his dark hair as the worry began to grow. "What is wrong with Ana?"

" _Nothing is wrong, per se,_ " said Jenn, turning her body slightly so that she was now sitting upright and facing him properly. " _It was just something I had caught last minute._ " She paused slightly, hesitating a moment, before she plunged on. " _Ana takes a shot every few months that helps control her hormones and in turn helps to control the rage during her menstrual cycles._ " She hesitated again before a slight blush filled her cheeks. " _This last shot she was given... It didn't take. Her body had fought it off relentlessly... I was concerned._ "

Tony was by no means slow when it came to understanding the basic functions of the human body, be it male or female. Considering this was the body of a female who harbored an alien entity meant an even quicker understanding. It was no secret how hot and heavy Bruce and Ana could get. It was no secret how even hotter and heavier their other selves made such an act. It was bound to happen at some point. Tony had no idea that it meant that Ana's own body could fight off the birth control in favor of a more different result of their unions. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised. Cin ruled her basic instincts. If she wanted a particular something to happen, by damn it was going to, come hell or high water.

"You mean she's...?"

" _I don't know,_ " said Jenn, studying his face with interest. She could see, just barely beneath the indifferent mask on his face, the slight tinge of hope and excitement. He _wanted_ this to happen. He wanted his family to grow in some way or form. What better way than the potential to be an uncle? " _I won't know until they come back and I can run tests._ "

"All right then," said Tony as he took a step back and turned around, the look in his hazel eyes was of someone who was already planning something. "Keep on scanning and let me know if you hear anything." He walked off and left the office before Jenn could say anything in response.

She was left alone, staring at the door to the office, before she sighed heavily and looked back out the large window before her that gazed out over Midtown. " _I wonder if she's all right..._ "

" _Please do no stress yourself Jenn,_ " said JARVIS, " _A rise is your blood pressure is the last thing you need at this time. We will keep scanning until we hear from them._ "

Jenn wished that she could smile then, if only to have the satisfaction of giving such an action. Instead, she stared out the window, allowing her suit's inner computer system to continue focus on the search for her niece...

 


	41. A Golden Light

_With him along_

_Who could be lonely?_

_I reach for his hand_

_It's always there..._

**Where do I Begin? (Love Story)** – Shirley Bassey

-o-

Chapter 41: A Golden Light

A golden light was the first thing that greeted her sight when she finally opened her eyes. Her lashes fluttered, trying to clear away the threads of unconsciousness from her vision. Dizziness assailed her senses but she could feel that she was lying in a comfortable bed of sorts.

_What had happened?_

The last she could recall was traveling through that portal and then...

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she struggled to find the strength to lift her head and search her surroundings. Had they made it to Asgard? Where was Bruce? Oh, she hoped he was all right. He could not be far...

A hand twitched in her right one, one that had been clasping hers so firmly. She turned her head and found herself staring at the most beautiful sight of her man sleeping peacefully by her side. He wore no clothing save for the tattered pair of slacks he had been traveling in. A definite sign that something had gone wrong. He had changed into the Hulk.

She rested her head back against the pillow, not noticing the golden barrier that surrounded them. She struggled to turn ever so slightly so that she faced Bruce, her fingers moving to intertwine with his. She took in a breath, the calm that was ever present when they touched filling her heart.

"I am glad to see that you are awake."

Ana jumped slightly in fright, the red veins against her neck darkening slightly as a snarl emerged. Her deep brown eyes had caught sight of the tall blonde woman who had entered the room. The woman held out her hands, showing that she meant no harm as she took a step closer. "Peace. You are safe. My name is Frigga, wife of Odin and mother of Thor." When she heard no other threatening sound come from Ana, she took another step closer. "You had fainted on your travels here and had given your mate quite a scare. He would not leave your side for a moment." She glanced at Bruce and a fond smile played upon her lips. "He loves you deeply. I am honored to be witness to such a strong bond."

"Frigga?" repeated Ana, her voice croaking slightly. "Mother of...?" Her eyes grew wide as the revelation that the Queen of Asgard was standing before her hit her fully. "Oh! I am sorry! I did not realize-"

Frigga held up a graceful hand and shook her head once. "No apologies are necessary Red Lady Ana. I am quite familiar with how strongly a Lyttan will protect their mate, based on the records of your people. Instead, please accept my apology for scaring you in the first place. I should have known better." She lowered her hand and clasped them before her, studying Ana with keen interest.

"How did you know my name?"

Frigga's smile grew as she glanced at the sleeping form of Bruce. "Your mate had told me before he had changed back to his human self. Although, he did not tell me his name."

Ana looked at Bruce and the look on her face softened with affection. "Bruce..."

"A fine name," said the Queen, her smile growing as she studied the love that clearly showed on the younger woman's face. Oh yes, this was quite a strong bond. She knew that the life that had formed from such a union would be even stronger when nurtured under such a light. "Now, I apologize for this being sudden. However, I must ask of your health. Traveling the portals between realms can be quite a stress for those of a delicate nature. How are you feeling? Any nausea? Dizziness? Headache?"

Ana looked at the Queen, her gaze filled with confusion. "I... am a little dizzy but nothing to worry of. I feel weak but that usually happens when-" Her heart nearly fluttered in her chest. "Did I change as well? Please, tell me that no one was hurt! I am so sorry. My other self triggers easily when Bruce-"

Frigga held up her hand once again, interrupting the young woman as her smile grew. "No, my dear one, no. You did not change. No one was harmed. Your Lyttan side must have been aware of the state that you are in. You were still in your human form when you had arrived."

"Then why...?"

"Did you truly not know that you are with child?"

Silence fell as Ana stared at the Queen of Asgard with a look of shock. She swallowed the tightness that had formed in her throat, the tears were beginning to fill in her eyes. "I am... with child?" She swallowed again as she looked at Bruce, awe overcoming the shock. "I am pregnant?"

Frigga could see the underlying happiness that was overcoming the young woman. She had been hoping for such a thing, had been yearning to hear of it. The Queen was very happy to give such news to an expectant young mother. "Yes, we had done the necessary tests while monitoring for your health. We checked your body's hormonal level and it showed positive signs of pregnancy. We had also delved a little further and detected a smaller, faster heartbeat within your womb. I am unsure to the reproductive cycles of a human merged with a Lyttan but I would assume you would be within your very beginning cycle of carrying the child."

"It has been a month in our time frame on Earth," said Ana quietly, reaching out to brush the hair from Bruce's brow. He stirred lightly but did not wake. "I had searched into his heart and he wished for a family. A child of his own... He had wished it of it so dearly. Even before he had met me..." She took in a breath and sighed, her breath coming out in a shaky way. "I did not know if it would work with how he is and how I am... With how difficult our bodies were because of what we had gone through. I was not sure if it would take. But it had." She closed her eyes, the tears spilling down her cheeks. "It had happened. I had prayed and prayed... I wanted him to be happy. And it worked."

Her tears came faster now and she cried from the joy filling her heart.

It had worked.

Bruce would become a father.

It was the only thing he had truly wanted. Now, it would come to pass.

Frigga could only watch the young woman as she clasped her mate's hand, crying softly as she pressed watery kisses against his cheek...

-o-

Steve Rogers wasn't one to believe that peace would last long.

He was a war hardened soldier who knew that the time peace brought was a time used to prepare for the next war.

The time since the fight in Manhattan was spent traveling the US, learning all he could about the state his country was currently in with his own eyes. He was also learning about the various updates on weapons and warfare courtesy of SHIELD. Now it would seem his traveling was spent for a purpose...

SHIELD had called him in for a new mission. This one was not based on anything to do with the Avengers. It was strictly SHIELD business. Concerning a particularly dangerous criminal that had recently escaped a very high security prison. Agent Phil Coulson had been the one to deliver the files. Seeing the Agent up and about, after supposedly being in a coma that he had no hope of awakening from, made the Captain do a double take. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised.

This was SHIELD.

They used any means necessary to get their soldiers to do the job.

Sighing heavily, Steve stared down at the files showing an ex-soldier of the UK's Royal Marines Commandos. He was sitting in a diner in Roper, North Carolina, where his travels had been halted when Agent Coulson had found him. Sitting in that booth, with Agent Coulson sitting patiently across from him, Steve wondered exactly what SHIELD was dragging him into this time.

The files on Emil Blonsky were straight and to the point. He was loaned to US service under one General Ross well over a year ago to hunt down Bruce Banner. General Ross had Blonsky undergo some questionable experiments to enhance his physical capabilities in the great chance he would face the Hulk. Of course, it had happened at Culver University in Virginia and the result was Blonsky being mortally injured and the Hulk escaping with one Betty Ross. Steve was familiar with that situation, having seen the files when he was first introduced to Bruce Banner.

Apparently, Blonsky's body had undergone even more radical changes, due to side effects of the treatment. To make a long story short, Blonksy had received an untested treatment from a cellular biologist named Samuel Sterns, who had been in contact with Banner for the six years he was MIA and who had managed to obtain a blood sample directly from Banner. Banner had sent it as his last hope in finding a cure. The doctor had used it to synthesize the samples with the intention of applying its limitless potential toward modern medicine. It was here that Blonksy had caught up with Banner and had forced Sterns to inject him with Banner's blood, regardless of the results.

He had coveted so much of the Hulk's raw power that in the end he became an abomination. That was where the fight in Harlem had taken place between two monsters. Where the Hulk had emerged the victor. The Abomination was caught and kept prisoner within a research facility deep within an old gold mine in South Dakota. It was supposed to be heavily guarded and offered little chance for Blonsky to ever see the light of day again.

He had recently escaped.

And now SHIELD was placing Captain America on the case of finding out how the Abomination had escaped and who had helped him to do it.

"Well," said Steve as he placed the tablet on the table and pushed it back toward Coulson. "You really don't believe in giving me easy mission, do you?"

The agent smiled slightly at that and shook his head slightly. "No sir. The only other person we could ask to help us find this man is currently no longer on the planet."

"You mean Dr. Banner?"

Coulson nodded an affirmative. "He and Ms. Brandt had recently gone to Asgard with Thor. Apparently, the Asgardians may have the key to finding out Cin's true origins. No one else would know better than Dr. Banner on how to track this thing down but since we have no means to reach him directly at this time, we need our best soldier to at least find a trail to where this thing had disappeared to and find out how the staff had not detected it before hand." He sighed heavily as he reached up to rub his jaw. "I'm not going to honey coat it for you sir. This thing is massive. If you thought the Hulk was intimidating, the Abomination makes the Hulk seem like an easy-going guy in comparison." He lowered his hand as he leaned forward, staring at his idol with a look of wariness in his eyes. "I'm going to go off the record here and ask you to be careful. If you come across this thing, do not confront him. The Hulk had barely managed to get out of a fight with that thing alive. We only need you to find some clue as to where it had gone. Once you do, let us know. Do not attempt to pursue this thing on your own."

Steve was quiet but a moment as he looked at the tablet again, a picture of the monster stared back at him. The look in his blue eyes hardened slightly as he looked at his comrade and gave a firm nod in agreement. "You have my word Agent Coulson."


	42. The Feeling of a Small Hand

_I've got emotion_

_Dripping out my pores and I_  
  


_Thought I would let you know_

_You are the night light,_  
  


_Ripping through my wicked world_  
  


_How you make it sparkle and glow_

_Before I lose control_  
  


_There's just one thing you should know_

_This is for real_

**This is for Real** – Motion City Soundtrack

-o-

Chapter 42: The Feeling of a Small Hand

The feeling of a small hand clutching his own was the first thing that registered in his mind.

Bruce's hand had tightened around the small hand that held his and he slowly opened his eyes to find Ana's deep brown ones staring into his own. Relief touched him as he pulled her hand close and gently kissed her fingers. "Ana..."

Her smile was one of deep love and relief. " _Mon amant,_ " she whispered in return as she gently adjusted herself to move closer to him. " I was worried you would not awake."

He shook his head in reply as he pressed another firm kiss against her fingers, the warmth of her skin bringing a much-needed calm to his befuddled senses. What had happened this time? The last thing he could recall was traveling the portal and then Ana-

His gaze focused on hers as he moved away slightly, struggling to sit up. He enjoyed the feel of her hands as she reached out to help him sit up in their bed, wherever they were. "Are- are you all right?" he asked, his voice coming out in a croak as he reached out to brush the copper brown curls from Ana's face. His eyes studied her face, her neck, her arms and torso while his hands moved diligently over her, searching for any telltale signs of harm to his woman. She was dressed differently then what he remembered, a simple light red, almost pinkish, dress of some very soft, thin material. She was barefoot and she looked completely at ease as she allowed Bruce his thorough examination of her.

She giggled a little the moment his fingers had danced around her waist and he paused, looking back up at her, before a smile touched his lips. She had squirmed lightly beneath his touch but she was smiling at him, her deep brown eyes filled with love. "I am all right... We had made it to Asgard in one piece. It seems traveling by way of portal did not agree with the three of us." She studied his face carefully after she said this, looking for any signs if he had caught what she had said.

Bruce's face showed no signs of understanding as he let out a soft sigh and plopped back down against the pillows, his chest rising and falling with a deep sigh. "Thank god... The Other Guy didn't like it one bit when you fainted." He rubbed his face and groaned lightly. "What I don't understand is what would have made you faint like that. You've been through worse." He paused at this and pulled his hand away from his eyes, glancing at Ana with curiosity. "Did the Other Guy hurt anyone?"

Ana giggled again as she moved slightly on the bed, shifting her position so that she sat up straighter to get a better look at him. Her copper brown curls fell in a loose mess about her face, there was a certain glow about her. "No, but he wouldn't let any males touch me when I had fainted. He was very adamant about keeping me close and keeping every Asgardian male, aside from Thor, away."

Bruce muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "You would think he would realize by now that he has nothing to be worried about..." Ana's laughter brought a smile to his face and he looked at his woman, the happiness filling in his heart at seeing her well. He had waited until her laughter died down before he shifted his position to move closer to her. He was still slightly weak but nothing was going to keep him from being near his woman. He placed his head down on her warm lap and sighed in contentment. Ana smiled down at him as she began to play with his dark brown waves, her fingers moving in a gentle manner.

Bruce hummed his appreciation as he folded his hands on his bare chest, allowing the relaxing tingles from her touch to soothe his worries away. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and stared up at her. "How is Thor by the way?"

Ana didn't cease in her movements as she focused her gaze on her hands weaving through his thick locks. "Thor is fine. He wasn't affected by the travel. I suppose since he is so used to it, it's to be expected."

Bruce frowned lightly at that, his soft brown gaze focusing on hers. "I thought you said that he was feeling unwell from traveling through that portal?"

Ana kept her gaze focused on her fingers but she tilted her head slightly in his direction. "When did I say that?"

"Just a few minutes ago when I asked how you were," said Bruce, the frown on his face deepening just a bit. "You said that traveling through the portal didn't agree with the three of us."

"Ah, _oui_ ," said Ana, nodding once as a light smile danced on her lips. "I did say that but I didn't mean Thor. I meant the three of us. Thor was not included in that equation."

Bruce reached up to stop her fingers in their movements within his hair, his soft brown eyes revealing the frustration he felt. "Ana..." he began, pulling her hands down so that way he could press them against his heart, his own hands resting over them. "Sweetheart... I love you, but even I know you know basic mathematics." The slightly affronted look she gave in response to that helped ease the tension he was feeling and he pulled her further down so that way their faces were just inches apart. "Tell me what is going on."

" _Mon amant_ ," she said, a teasing smile touching her lips. " _Je t'aime_... But if you insult my intelligence again, I will deny you the pleasures of my body for the next month."

"Hey, c'mon," he said, the look on his face growing worried. "I didn't mean it! I was just saying. There were three of us traveling that portal and three of us arrived to Asgard. If there were three of us who were unwell when we arrived, and Thor was not one of them, then who were you speaking of?"

Ana pursed her lips in a thoughtful manner before she leaned in close and pressed a firm kiss against his lips. "An unexpected stowaway..."

"Stowaway?"

She pulled away from him and moved slightly across the bed, giving him reason to sit up and look at her. He frowned slightly as he watched her sit there, before he felt the uncomfortable sensation of her being too far from him. She needed to be close to him...

Without a word, he moved across the bed and pulled her close in front of him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face within the crook of her neck. He sighed with relief, his hold tightening around her. The ache in his chest had eased...

He opened his eyes, confusion touching him, as he looked down at Ana. She looked up at him and an easy smile touched her lips. She took hold of his right hand and pulled it down from its spot on her left breast. She moved it down settled it firmly over her lower abdomen, the warmth he could feel through the material of her dress throwing him off guard. She was warmer there than normal...

"Ana?" His voice was filled with uncertainty, a slight tremble at the tail end of her name indicating his worry.

She looked up at him and her smile was one of love and slight fear. "A stowaway... You feel it don't you? You didn't want me far from you..."

His heart slammed against his chest as the indication of what she just said began to sink in. He swallowed the tightness in his throat as the fingers of his right hand spread over her currently small belly. "You..."

" _Oui_ ," she said as her smile began to waver from the emotion that was filling her.

He swallowed again as he slowly removed his hand from her and pulled away from her completely, his soft brown eyes bearing an emotion that she could not read. "But... I can't- I can't have kids."

The alarm in her own brown eyes was a sign as she turned quickly around on the bed, pulling the skirts of her dress and the sheets along with her. "Wh-what?" She began to pale slightly as the meaning of his words touched the part of her heart that always feared his rejection, no matter how often she knew that his love for her was real. He had always been too good to be true, such a sweet reprieve from the nightmare that had been her existence. How would it have been possible that so kindhearted of a man would love her for all that she was, regardless of how similar they were? Now, she had mistook what she had read in his heart of hearts...

Perhaps she had read his subconscious thoughts incorrectly. Perhaps he did not want children...

His deepest desire was _not_ to have children.

The negative emotions continued to fill her as the horror of what she had done sunk in deeply. She had ruined what they had... He did not want children and she had gotten pregnant...

_Oh god..._

"I..." She twitched slightly, the sight of the red veins in her neck darkening and now traveling down the length of her arms and over her chest a warning sign. "I thought..." She twitched again, she could feel Cin within her, a deep burning anger that was making her thoughts clear.

_Baby... Protect... Ours..._

"I'm sorry," she said as she continued to move away from Bruce, her eyes glancing around the spacious room they were in, the sight of curtains and carved marble offering little respite for Ana's need for escape. "I... didn't think... I saw it when we were together, our minds one. I-" She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. "I won't bother you with this. I'll make sure you do not have to worry about it. I'm sorry."

It was the rejection, and the sudden distance of his woman, that set Bruce into his action. He could see it on her face. She thought he was _rejecting_ the life in her. That little life that had unexpectedly happened. He had never thought...

It couldn't have been possible with how he was, how she was, how they _were_...

She was supposed to have been on birth control just in case, but even he knew with how different their genetic structures were, a child could not have been _possible._

His thoughts were brought to a screeching halt the moment Ana had gotten to her feet and was moving away from the bed in a slightly stunned manner, as if she were in shock. She was moving away from him even further and the ache in his chest was growing with each step she took. He did not hear her words but he understood the sudden distance that she was putting between them. The Other Guy reared from his subconscious, screaming at Bruce to move and move _now._ This was his woman, his woman who was walking away. She was to _never_ walk away from him.

He was off of the bed in a heartbeat and grabbing his woman with the unexpected strength that came when the he and the Other Guy were in sync with their thoughts and desires. He ignored the gasp that Ana gave and he pushed her the several feet to the nearest wall. He pushed her up against the wall and snarled, his eyes now flashing a dangerous green as his hold on her upper arms tightened. "Do not ever think I would not want you! Want _this_!" He reached down, ripping her skirts aside, the tearing of the fragile fabric offering little resistance. He reached to the sagging waistband of his own tattered pants, ripping the button and zipper apart, the sudden demanding desire for his woman taking him by surprise.

He had to show her.

She had to _feel_ it.

"You're mine," he growled, patches of green appearing on his arms and chest as he freed his thick, throbbing member from the constraints of his pants. He pressed up against her, his aching hardness seeking the hot wetness that belonged to him and _only_ him. The moment the tip of it had touched the thin fabric of her undergarments, the moistness of her tempting him, he growled again. "Mine... Everything of you, from you, is _mine_..." He reached between them, staring into the wide eyes of his woman, his mate, the mother of his _child_...

He nearly groaned at the thought of it. His child was growing within her. A little life, a little breath of hope... His member throbbed with urgency, the Other Guy was demanding. He ripped her underwear from her and threw the torn fabric aside. He then reached around, his large hands cupping the warm flesh of her thick thighs and lifted her up with ease. "You're _my_ woman... _Mine_!"

"Always," Ana breathed as she reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders, opening herself to him as her legs relaxed within his grip, allowing him to move them without resistance. He pushed her up against the wall again and thrust into her with unadulterated passion.

The moment he was fully sheathed within her, he let out the deepest of groans. "You're everything..."

-o-

The moment his thick member thrust up into her, Ana let out a soft cry of relief. Cin crooned from within her subconscious, loving the feel of their mate within. Deep within, close to her womb, where he belonged.

"You're everything," he groaned as he withdrew and thrust back into her, her body bouncing from the force of it. "You're all I feel, all I crave, all I _need_ ," he said, pulling out before thrusting back into her so deeply, hitting the one spot that set off the warmth in her lower belly. It spread throughout the rest of her body and she let out a small whimper of complete ecstasy, her muscles trembling from the pleasure. He continued in those deep, sharp thrusts that always filled her like nothing else ever could. Filling the ache in her heart...

"My Ana," he whispered as he moved to hide his face within the crook of her neck, his body trembling from the passion that held him. His thrusts were growing more urgent as his hold on her tightened. She was gasping from the pleasure, nearly crying from the passion that she felt from him.

"You are the reason... Coursing through my veins... Always _you_..." He was thrusting harder into her now, his body visibly shaking. Ana had closed her eyes from the onslaught of his passion, losing herself in the feel of him thrusting in and out of her, when she felt the unexpected warmth at her neck.

Her eyes had sprung open and she looked down at her man, her mate. His face was hidden in the crook of her neck but she could feel the warm liquid touching her, slight droplets that were being smeared against her skin.

"Tell me you're real... Tell me you're mine!" He thrust up into her tight, wetness. His body was trembling, his hold on her tightening to the point of being painful.

"Always," said Ana in a breathy sigh as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her right hand moving up to grasp the back of his neck, her fingers disappearing into the thick, brown waves of his hair. She fell apart in a quiet way, her climax more subdued, while she felt him thrust one last time into her. He groaned as he filled her with his warm seed, several spurts filling her womb, though there was no reason other than to claim everything within her as already his. Marking her as his. She was already with his child...

He was trembling by the time the last pulse of his climax faded from his body but the warmth that was falling from his eyes and onto the skin of Ana's neck continued. He did not release his hold of her, though the urgency of his need to claim her was now softening. He kept his face buried within the crook of her neck and took in a shuddering breath. "Tell me this is for real," he said, his voice muffled against her skin. "Tell me this isn't a dream... I don't want to wake up. You... _You_..." He took in a shuddering breath as he nuzzled her neck and a soft sob escaped him. "I couldn't live if you were just a figment of my mind... I would _never_ want to wake up." He swallowed again, his voice now trembling. "Y-You- You're... r-really... pregnant?"

She moved her head slightly, trying to get a better look at him and she gently ran her fingers against the nape of his neck, her short nails gently scratching the skin. She did not respond to him and instead tightened her hold on him. "Feel me. Feel how close we are. The calm... The warmth..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "If this is not enough, just know that the Asgardians have technology like nothing on Earth. They had monitored my health the moment I arrived. They found positive signs of my pregnancy from the hormonal levels of my body. They even heard a heartbeat..." She tightened her hold and rubbed her cheek against his hair. "They had recorded everything. They can show you if you still doubt."

A choking sound was all Bruce gave in response and he nuzzled her neck further, almost afraid to pull away...

-o-

The feel of normal skin, muscles, sinew, and bone had not what he had been expecting to feel ever again. He sat up from the gurney he had been lying upon and looked at his hands, his normal human hands. He allowed a smile of satisfaction to touch his features as he looked at his forearms and his biceps, triceps...

"I take it you like the look?"

He glanced at the source of the voice that had spoken to him. He caught sight of a rather thin looking man, tall and malnourished. He had a thick head of white hair and thick glasses that were tinted black, hiding his eyes from view. The white lab coat and the chart in his hand indicated his status as one of the doctors who had worked on him.

"How did you do it?" he asked, looking back at his hands, taking in the sight of the young, healthy flesh. The strength was still there, still thrumming at the very depths of his being, but there was more control now. He was more like the Hulk like he always wanted to be...

"Simple enough," said the doctor as he walked closer to the gurney and looked at the chart. "It was a matter of stabilizing your genetic structure. You had much of Dr. Banner's genetic structure fighting for dominance within you. Add that and the treatments you had before meant a very unstable mix. It was just a matter of thinning out the unknown treatments that had been done to you to allow the... Hulk's genes... to gain more control." The doctor looked away from the chart and smiled at the man on the gurney. "You now have your human form... Of course, if you get emotionally triggered..."

The man smiled at the doctor as he clenched his fists, feeling the power within and loving the control.

"So, Mr. Blonsky? What do you think?"

"I think, Dr. Dunns, that we have an agreement." Emil Blonsky shifted his shoulders, testing his muscles and loving the feel of the strength within them. "I'll get your wayward experiment. Just make sure the Hulk will remain mine to deal with...”


	43. On the Horizon

_You remind me of the days_

_In that infamous war_

_When we weren't quite sure_

_What we were fighting for_

_We're searching for shelter now_

_From the coming storm_

_Are you the man who can lead us once again?_

_So come on, suit up, let's go..._

**Captain America** – Styx

-o-

Chapter 43: On the Horizon

On the horizon, the town of Lead, South Dakota loomed ever closer with each mile that Steve Rogers drove down the long route of 385 that led into the small town. His Rubicon jeep handled the winding roads with ease, the surrounding mountains and hills giving a spectacular view of nature left untouched by man. The town was nestled among the surrounding, dark forested, Black Hill Mountains, a place far enough away from major populations. However, he could not help but feel a sense of dread the closer he got to his destination.

The town of Lead was home to a well-known facility called the _Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory_ , otherwise known as DUSEL. To those in SHIELD, it was unofficially called the Homestake. It had been built within the closed Homestake gold mine within last two decades and it was a prime place for many studies being conducted for the research in neutrino scattering, dark matter interactions, and other such nuclear physics research. Having such easy access to such great depths, it also helped to open up the study in the fields of geomicrobiology, geosciences, and mining engineering. At a depth of 8,000 feet below the surface, the laboratory was the deepest to have ever been constructed underground.

Of course, all of this meant very little to Steve when he had been debriefed on the facility and the town by Agent Coulson. His only concern was his mission at hand, locating any sign of how and where the Abomination had disappeared to. The fact that such a small town – with a population of 3,000 or so – had been unaware that a monstrosity had been held prisoner some 8,000 feet below them...

No matter how strong the force of such a facility, no matter how deep in the earth it was, it was inconceivable to have such a monster as the Abomination so close to the home of citizens. Men, women and children, mere citizens who lived their lives in relative peace, were unaware of what was chained deep underground beneath their feet...

It was a mere miracle that this creature had disappeared without the townspeople being aware of it in the first place.

The moment he was finally driving down the town center of Lead, his grip on the steering wheel tightened and he took in a deep breath. He couldn't help but shake the feeling this was going to be the start of something else he really had no choice but to be a part of.

He took in another breath as he parked his jeep at the parking lot of a local inn, knowing that a room had already been set aside for him by SHIELD. After taking a moment to calm his nerves, he got out of the vehicle and grabbed his duffel bag, a pretense to his traveling. He swung it over his shoulder before he made his way up the front steps of the building. It was located on the West Main St of town, a rather old brownstone building that had been built in the early 1900's. It used to be the town hall and then it was used as the general office for the Homestake Mining Company, before being converted into the Historic Town Hall Inn. It was a quaint place and one that Steve would have been at home in if the circumstances had been different that had led him here.

He walked down the length of the lobby and stepped up to the counter, greeting the middle-aged Caucasian woman who stood behind it. She had dyed red hair and wore little make up though she was dressed nicely in a casual black uniform indicating her as a member of the staff. She glanced up at him when he came to the counter and, at the sight of his smile in greeting and the unmistakable charm that flowed from him, offered a smile in welcome. The tired look on her face seemed to lighten with her smile and showed the beauty she still possessed before stress had taken hold.

"Welcome to The Historic Town Hall Inn, my name is Amy. How may I help you today?"

Steve rested a hand on the counter as he looked around the very small lobby that had been an entrance hall in the past. He took in the sights of an old radiator across the counter that looked to still heat the room, the ceiling fan above that circled in a slow cycle, to the maroon armchairs that sat in front of the staircase that lead to the rooms above, even down to the maroon rug that bordered with the tile of the entryway. He felt right at home and his smile grew as he looked at the woman named Amy and gave a nod.

"Good morning ma'am, my name is Steve Rogers. I have a reservation."

Amy turned toward her computer, the only modern thing in the room, and tapped away at the keys as she looked up his info. Her smile grew a little as she verified his info and turned to him, asking for his identification to verify who he was. He pulled his wallet out with little problem, his ID bearing a false date of birth considering he did not look his age.

Once everything had checked through, Amy was leading him to his room on the second floor and advised him of a local restaurant he could get a good breakfast. He thanked her as he dropped his bag on the bed and looked around. Aside from the modern enmities of a microwave and coffee pot on top of a mini-fridge and an AC unit in the window, the style of the room was classic.

It bore wall to wall patterned carpeting in brown and earth tones, the walls were painted in a warm yellow and beige color that matched the bed spread, curtains and wooden frames of the windows and doors. There was a bathroom to the right, small but quaint, and a wardrobe with mirrors in the doors beside the entrance to the bath. It was small but just to his taste. At least this mission would be comfortable.

Amy had left him alone in his bedroom and he took a seat on the bed, looking out the single window of the room that showed a good view of the mountains. He sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face, thinking about where he would have to start looking for a 13 foot tall monstrosity gone missing...

-o-

Jane sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead, wondering what SHIELD was going to do with her now.

Having been designated as the unofficial guardian of the alien known as Erai, SHIELD had kept her on pretty much lock down since they brought Erai and her to their floating base known as the Helicarrier. Where they had kept Erai, she had no idea, and they did not wish to tell her or take her to him. She was once again taken from her work by those in this government agency who felt they had a right. However, she was so used to these people now, even expected it because of whom she had known and what she did.

She only wondered what they were going to say or do to her now...

"Ms. Foster."

Jane was staring at the ceiling of her prison/room, her chair rather comfortable despite the surroundings, which were rather gray. She had her hands clasped on the back of her head, her pose one of nonchalance, before her eyes flicked over to catch sight of an African American man, dressed all in black, with a single black patch over an eye. He was bald and only a goatee around his mouth was a sign that he was capable of growing hair. He was standing near the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back, pulling away the black trench coat he wore and revealing his gun at his hip.

Jane was not threatened by such a display; she simply smirked and raised her gaze back to the ceiling. "Are you here to ask me about Erai, Mr. Fury? I had told Ms. Romanoff all I that know. I suggest asking her for the report."

Nick Fury found this woman to be rather amusing and, dare he say it, even brave. She had no fear of him nor showed any sign uneasiness. No wonder Thor adored this woman. She seemed to expect that SHIELD would come back for her. Considering her past with Thor, it was not surprising. She faced the uncertainty of her future path as one willing to embrace it with open arms, if it meant leading her to the Asgardian she loved. He wondered how well she would get along with Anamaria Brandt if they ever met or with Cin for that matter.

Well, first things first, she would have to meet the alien male known as Erai in his primal state.

"I am not here to ask you about the gentleman who had been escorted in with you," said Fury as he turned on his heel and went to the door to open it with a simple swipe of a card key. "I am here to escort you _to_ him. He has been rather agitated since we separated you two and we thought it best for you to come and... _calm_ him down."

"Sure," muttered Jane, as she got to her feet with little hesitation, just glad to have a chance to get out of the room. "Well, c'mon then, show me where he is and I'll calm him down as best I can." She followed Fury out of the room, not really thinking that SHIELD agents would need her help in calming down an angry man. What was the worst that he could do?

Fury led her down a series of corridors, and down several levels, before their trek through the _Helicarrier_ ended at a single door at the end of a lone corridor at the lowest level of the floating base. "I'll warn you now Ms. Foster. The gentleman you knew is nothing like the creature you will be seeing now."

Jane huffed in annoyance and waved her hand, beckoning him to move on with his dramatic warning. He merely smirked as he pressed a button on a control panel beside the door and leaned forward to have his single eye scanned. Once the system had recognized his retinal scan, the door slid open and Jane Foster was bombarded by the sound of deep roars and howls from a creature that was in no way shape or form to be considered human.

She moved ahead of Fury, ignoring the SHIELD staff in the small control room that was monitoring the creature in the cell below them. A fire proof, bullet proof, glass wall separated the alien creature from the control room. Jane was shocked at the sight of him. He was insanely tall – standing at a height of ten feet – his dark hair still bearing the frazzled waves, while his body was all wiry sinewy muscle. His skin was the color of the deepest crimson and the veins that protruded from every visible surface of his body glowed with a burning orange and yellow heat that was sure to be felt if one stood close to him. His eyes were nothing but pure glowing orbs of yellow light and he was roaring his displeasure at being kept captive.

The room he was in was a room made from materials that had proven effective against such attacks, a fact they had learned from their contact with Jennifer DuPont with Stark Industries. Though the creature was beyond feral, they were quite safe. A fact learned from having one such as him aboard to study from.

"You need to let him out," cried Jane as she rushed toward the glass wall that separated her from the raging alien that was currently hurling explosive attacks toward the surrounding walls of his prison. "He can't be locked up like this! He needs to find his sister! He needs help!" She turned her angry gaze toward Fury and her hands curled into tight balls, her clenched fists paling from the tension. "...but you already know this..." She took in a breath to calm her nerves as she turned away from the director. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, Ms. Foster," said Fury, walking to stand beside her, his single gaze staring down at the raging creature. "We only need you to calm him down. He trusts you." He turned his head to gaze at her and his single, dark eye was one of understanding. "Only you. We might have an idea as to who he is looking for but we need more info."

Jane Foster stared down at the alien creature, a part of her feeling the fear of having to face such a being. However, she knew Erai would not intentionally hurt her. Not from how he had been when they were first approached by SHIELD.

"All right," she said as she straightened her shoulders and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Where do I go in?"

-o-

" _There!_ There _! JARVIS, I have something!_ "

Jenn nearly jumped from her chair in Tony's office as she caught a familiar signal from a part of the sky they had scanned for the past two weeks. It was faint but the signal was there. Ana's tracking implant had been found and she was alive and well. Her signal was revealing her vital signs, though at first erratic, had calmed for some time, before becoming erratic again. It was a sign that was quite similar to other reports in the past when it happened when Bruce and Ana would be... _intimate_.

Jenn could feel the blush in her cheeks at the readings but she could say with _extreme_ relief that Bruce and Ana had made it to Asgard in one piece. Now, she only hoped that Ana would be able to send them a message soon.

" _I have alerted Mr. Stark, Jenn. I suggest girding your loins. Goodness knows how he will react,_ " said JARVIS, his British tone bringing a sense of amusement to Jenn, who wished she could smile. The AI had wormed his way into her affections and she was beginning to, despite her reservations for her human emotions, growing rather fond of him. The fact that they had been connected in such a way these last several weeks as to integrate with each other’s systems did not help in matters...

The door to Tony's office had slammed open then, the look in his hazel eyes was one of extreme excitement and relief. "You found them! Are they ok?"

Jenn turned her pale blue eyes toward Tony Stark, trying her best to keep the amusement out of her eyes as her elder sister came trailing in after him. "Jenn, have you heard from Ana? Are she and Bruce all right?"

Jenn looked over the recent readings from Ana's tracking implant in the internal memory banks of her computer system, seeing the erratic readings. Her pale blue eyes had grown unfocused as she looked over the readings before her soft laughter could be heard from the voice box at the neck of her blue and silver suit. " _I think,_ ma soeur, _that they are perfectly fine..._ "

 


	44. Congratulations, My Friend!

_Somewhere down this road_

_I know someone's waiting_

_Years of dreams just can't be wrong_

_Well_

_Starting here_

_My life begins_

_Starting now_

_I'm learning fast_

_Courage, see me through_

_Heart, I'm trusting you_

_On this journey..._

_To the past..._

**Journey to the Past** **–** Aaliyah

-o-

Chapter 44: Congratulations, My Friend!

"Congratulations, my friend!"

Bruce nearly choked the moment he had emerged from the bedroom he and Ana had been recuperating in. He had been swept up into a very tight embrace by none other than Thor, who was now pounding him on the back and laughing heartily. "There is word you are to be a father!" He gave Bruce another pound on the back before he set Bruce back on his feet and let him go. "This is wonderful! We must celebrate!"

Bruce took a step back from the god of thunder, a little wary of being slapped on the back again. He glanced back to find Ana was laughing a little as she walked up to him and took him by the hand. He allowed a small smile to touch his lips as he intertwined their fingers and pulled her close. She returned his smile as she wrapped her free arm around his and hugged him. The Asgardians had been kind to give them new clothing, considering their previous clothing did not last past their lovemaking. It stood to reason that they now looked more at home with the population of Asgard then they did before. Of course, Bruce didn't feel very comfortable in the dark brown, snug fitting pants and dark green shirt he had been given. Ana was wearing another lightly flowing dress, this one a light orange as opposed to the light red Bruce had torn earlier.

"A dinner in honor of our new allies," said Thor in a booming voice as he turned around to look at his comrades, the Warriors Three, and the Lady Sif. The other three male Asgardians studied the quiet couple, in particular the now unassuming male. How such strength could lie within such a small human male... They were wary of what the female Lyttan might be capable of.

"All in good time Thor," said Lady Sif with a smile, her light brown eyes were studying Ana with interest, her straight dark hair pulled back into a conventional ponytail. Her armor was practical but looked light, what looked to be brown leather and a series of silver and gold plating covering the vital areas of her body. Her sword was currently sheathed behind her back. She looked as every bit the warrior as the men beside her and Ana found herself intrigued by the lady warrior.

"The All Father requests their presence at this time," she continued as she glanced at Thor and gave a slight bow of her head. She looked at the couple and her smile grew warm, she could see how close they were. The love between them was so clear, it shone like a beacon. "My lord Bruce and lady Ana. If you would be so kind as to follow us, we shall take to you see Odin."

Bruce glanced down Ana, who simply looked up at him and gave an encouraging smile before she turned her attention back to Sif. "Please, lead the way."

Lady Sif smiled at Ana before she motioned to her comrades and led the group down the corridor...

-o-

The throne room was expansive.

Considering that there was no one else in the very ornate and large room bathed in golden light, it was not surprising. However, as Lady Sif led the group down the aisle toward the throne, a sense of unease was beginning to fill the newly expectant mother. With Thor and Sif ahead of them, and the Warriors Three behind them, they were either well protected or well surrounded...

With a subdued growl, Cin arose from Ana's subconscious, instinct taking over. Her hold on Bruce's hand tightened as the red veins within her neck began to pulsate and then grew down the length of her arms and legs with each step. Since her dress did not consist of sleeves, everyone had a full view of the red veins that were now pulsating against the caramel flesh. Bruce certainly noticed and he had stopped completely, pulling Ana close and rubbing a comforting hand again her bare flesh. She did not relax.

"I think this is far enough," said Bruce as he pulled his woman within his embrace, sensing her tension and not liking it at all. "Thor... Would you mind telling us where Odin is?"

"Dr. Banner, my father-"

A snarl emerged from Ana's lips as her eyes took on a yellow glow, her gaze darting from one place to another. There were various pillars surrounding them and behind those various pillars were convenient shadows where one could hide...

It happened within the blink of an eye.

Where before the throne room had been empty, they were suddenly surrounded by armed Asgardian guards. Bruce could barely think to react before his woman had pulled away from his embrace and exploded with raw power. She did not funny change in her form, but she was close. The red veins that pulsated with glowing heat burned through the material of her dress, leaving scorched holes. She had gained a foot in height and her growls were threatening. She stood protectively in front of her mate and had hunched over, protecting the life within her womb. Her hands were glowing with subdued heat as she watched her surroundings.

The movement of one of the guards to her left set her to react and she screamed in anger, hurling a ball of flame toward the pillar. The guard was quick to move behind the pillar and the fireball exploded on contact. A shudder could be seen as the explosion nearly engulfed the length of the pillar, damaging the stone. A series of cracks throughout the pillar could be seen once the smoke had faded.

Silence fell aside from the growls and snarls that Ana gave off.

The silence stretched until Thor had finally took a step backward, adjusting his hammer as if he were ready to battle. The look upon his face was filled with anger as he turned to his comrades, moving close toward Ana and Bruce. As strange as it was, the god of thunder was looking ready to aid the couple against his own people. "What is the meaning of this? Where is my father?"

"Peace, my son," a strong but weathered voice had responded and all eyes turned toward the golden throne, where Odin was now standing. Beside him, his wife Frigga stood, looking none too happy at all that she had witnessed. The moment the guards had relaxed at the sight of their king, Odin turned his single eye toward the red veined female.

"Daughter of Lytta, I wished to see you for myself," said Odin, looking slightly regretful at the method he had chosen in order to bring this about.

Ana turned her glowing gaze toward the King of Asgard and she clenched her fists, her anger rising. A moment passed before she took a step back, moving closer to her mate. " _S-son of... B-Bor... Son... of B-Bestia,_ " said Ana, her voice a husky growl as she lowered herself to the floor, a move very clear of a mother protecting the life within her. She let out a soft breath as she felt Bruce's hands reaching out to grasp her by the shoulders. " _You... d-dare... to risk th-this new life within me._ " She closed her eyes, shuddering lightly as the veins in her arms pulsed. She took in a breath and opened her eyes again, her husky growl a sign that this was not Ana who was dominant. " _I can't... re-recall all... B-but... I re-remember that my grandmo-mother had be-believed that you would come. Y-you were su-supposed to be our allies... Our hope...Wh-where were you wh-when the Chi-Chitauri attacked us? Wh-when that evil came upon us?_ "

Odin had not been expecting this, his single eye had grown wide and he took a step down away from his throne. "You remember that much? Though you are merged with a mortal?"

" _Seeing y-you... Though our an-ancestors passed... We absorb their me-memories before they le-leave us,_ " said Cin in reply. " _We merge wi-with them... I could n-not recall much. S-seeing you has brought back some._ "

Thor could only watch in amazement as his father walked down the length of the staircase below the throne. He stopped several feet before the raging woman and, though she was a threat, his stance was relaxed. "Tell me, what is your true name Red Lady?"

Cin's glowing gaze studied the King of Asgard before she began to relax, sensing no threat from the Asgardian. " _I am... E-Erin... Sist-ter of E-Erai, s-son and s-daughter of Poena...Gr-grandchildren of Pr-Praxi..._ "

"Praxi was a great-granddaughter of Manai's," said Odin in a soft whisper as he began to recall the lineage of Lytta's children. "Manai was one of the sons of Ouran... Ouran had fought by my side in countless battles…” Odin's single blue gaze focused upon the couple before he glanced at the woman, studying the Lyttan with what could only be described as awe. "So many generations... Yet, you recall despite merging with a mortal." He set the butt of his scepter down upon the floor, his golden armor reflecting the light of the room around them. "Daughter of Lytta, I can only give you my deepest apologies and sorrows. I had not been aware of the attack your realm had suffered. The Chitauri were of a realm unknown to us and their technology was of a power we did not recognize. By the time your people's cry for help had finally reached us, your realm was... already gone." He swallowed, looking ill at ease as he recalled those days past. "By the time we had come to your aid, there was nothing of your world left. It was as if you had vanished from the very face of the Nine Realms. However, wherever your realm had disappeared to, the Chitauri had disappeared along with you."

Cin's eyes flashed as she moved closer against her mate, longing to feel the warmth of him. Bruce continued to rub his fingers over the tense muscles of her shoulders, hoping that she would not fully change. Yet, a part of him was enthralled by all he had listened to and been witnessed to. He was not the only one. This interaction between the Lyttan and the King of Asgard was a moment that meant a making of history for both people.

" _Th-that dark void,_ " said Cin, her growling voice growing thick with emotion. " _That dark place I-I was born to... The Chitauri were descended from darkness... I-it was the only place w-we could think to take them. To pr-protect the Nine Realms. You did not come, Borson... We_ had _to do something..._ "

Odin stood there for a moment before he took a step forward and then another. He continued to walk toward the Lyttan until he stood before her. He studied those glowing, yellow orbs before he reached out and took her by the hand. "Erin, daughter of Lytta, I beg you and your ancestors for forgiveness. I give you my word that I, and all those within this realm, shall protect you, your mate, and the new life within you, as we had sworn to do ages past. We will keep our promise to Lytta. Though we had failed before, I will be damned if we fail you again."

Cin studied the King before she let loose the softest of breaths and closed her eyes. She began to relax and her heart began to slow in its beat as she reverted to her calm self. It took a moment but when she opened her eyes, the soft brown orbs that gazed back toward Odin's single blue one brought a sense of much needed relaxation to Bruce, Thor, the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and the King of Asgard.

Ana gave a soft smile as her hand within Odin's gave a gentle squeeze. "I... hope that Cin was kind enough not to... hurt anyone." She looked tired but very wary. She had hoped that her other self had not offended the All Father.

Odin smiled and then started to laugh, his hearty laugh a clear sign that he was _definitely_ the father of Thor. At the sign of the All Father's laughter, all of the Asgardians within the room put their various weapons away. Anyone who could make the All Father laugh was quite welcome…


	45. We Are

_We come from everywhere_

_Searching for ones to care_

_Somehow_

_We found it here_

_We found us a home_

_We are not your ordinary family_

_But_

_We can agree_

_We are as close as can be..._

**We Are Family** **–** Keke Palmer

-o-

Chapter 45: We are

"We are allies!" said Thor, his booming voice sailing over the grand expanse of the dining hall. He held in one hand a large tankard of what appeared to be mead and was waving it around in an expansive gesture, sloshing the liquid all over the rim of the mug and onto the table before him. He turned his electric blue eyes toward the couple that sat to his right, his smile never wavering. "We are comrades in arms! We are friends!" He held his mug to them, his smile had softened with genuine affection. "To Dr. Banner and the Red Lady Ana, all of Asgard welcomes you both. I am sure I am not the only one in hoping that this day will bring a fruitful alliance between our two... or rather, our _three_ realms."

A chorus of cheers had followed this toast and a rather bashful looking Bruce was glancing at his woman, his cheeks a faint pink. Ana smiled at him and reached out to brush his dark brown waves from his brow. He reached up to take her hand and pulled it down with an embarrassed smile though he gave it an affectionate squeeze. He turned his gaze back to the heir to the Asgard throne, who slammed his tankard back down to the table with a hearty laugh. "We must celebrate!"

"A match!" yelled out a man's voice from the far end of the hall, though who it was it was hard say. "A match to show the strength of our new allies!"

"A fine idea," cried Thor as he pointed to the person who spoke out before he glanced at Bruce. "What say you Dr. Banner? A rematch between us? I have yet to pay back the Green One for the punch he had bestowed upon me on that battlefield in Midgard!"

Bruce just about blanched at those words as he stared at the god of thunder, caught completely off guard. He quickly shook his head as he swallowed in that nervous way he was so well known for. "I-I don't think that would be a good idea..."

"Oh, come now," said Thor as he abandoned his chair and moved over to Bruce to slap a heavy hand down upon his shoulder. The good doctor was slumped forward from the action and bumped against the edge of the wooden table. "It will be all in good sport! You have fair control over the Green One. You need not worry of hurting me."

"I can't-"

"Bruce," Ana's voice caressed his right ear, a soft purring whisper that made him still instantly. He knew that voice, the _promise_ in that voice. It was the Cin's seductive tone, the only one that got through to the Other Guy quicker than any trigger to cause of anger. "You should relax. Let the Other Guy out and let him have fun, _mon amant_." Her purring whisper was replaced by a soft breathy moan against his ear and he nearly growled in response, his gentle brown eyes now bearing a tint of green in them. "I promise if you let Hulk out, I will..." She leaned in closer then, whispering in his ear.

Bruce's cheeks started to fill with a blush but the green in his eyes was an indication that the Other Guy was listening in. A huff of breath escaped him and he glanced at Ana, a slight brow raised in question. "You promise? No restraints?"

"No restraints," said Ana as she leaned away, a satisfied smile playing on her face. "All the way down, just like you like it."

Thor was trying not to laugh at the look on Bruce's face as he contemplated the offer his woman had given him. Allow the Other Guy out to have fun and he would be rewarded. It wasn't hard to choose. He took in a breath and glanced up at Thor, his green eyes a sign of confirmation to the offer of a rematch. "Is there somewhere safe enough? I don't want to have anything damaged or anyone hurt."

"Oh, we have such a place," said Thor as he slapped another heavy hand on Bruce's shoulder before lifting him out of seat, his laughter bringing a sense of unease to the doctor. He glanced back down at Ana and his frown was telling.

She simply smiled at him and blew him a kiss.

-o-

The place that Thor had spoken of was a vast arena that was located on the outskirts of the city. Word had spread of the coming match between that of Thor and the Green One and the turnout was incredible. The sound of cheering coming from the surrounding crowd of Asgardians was immense. If one was to stand along the main road that led to the palace gates, you could still hear the roar.

Bruce found himself standing at one of the gates that led into the arena proper. He was shirtless and barefoot, only his breeches covered him. The material was of a stretchable fabric, one that had been provided for him for this occasion. It would seem that the Asgardians had an understanding as to how much mass he would take on when he let the Other Guy free.

He was clenching his fists tightly and he was taking even breaths as he felt the Other Guy humming beneath the surface, itching to be let loose. His only calm was standing beside him, rubbing a hand against his back. Her nails gently scraped against his skin and he closed his eyes, enjoying the touch.

"Don't worry Bruce," said Ana, her smile was a sweet one. "The Other Guy needs this as much as you do. It has been much too long since he had a good spar. There is only so much sex could satisfy after all."

Bruce opened his eyes and glanced at his woman, a light smirk touching his lips. "Is that so? Well, forgive me. I beg to differ." He reached out to pull her close against him and captured her lips in a searing kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled at the sight of the glazed look in her eyes. "Remember, you promised. After this, no restraints."

Ana blinked before she focused her gaze on him, her smile lighting up her features with pure love. "I know." She leaned up to press another kiss against his lips. "Now, have fun and remember not to hurt Thor's ego _too_ much."

Bruce's laugh was a welcome one and he hugged his woman close, burying his nose in her copper brown curls and inhaling the scent of her. The sound of the roaring crowd escalated outside, the sound of Odin's voice echoing throughout the arena as he introduced his son. A low growl came from Bruce's throat as he pulled away from Ana and pressed a kiss against her brow. "... _Mine_... Always."

Ana smiled, her heart giving a gentle flutter at the possessive tones. "Always," she said in reply.

Bruce turned away from his woman just as Odin introduced the challenger to the arena, the first human to spar in such a setting within the history of Asgard. The moment Bruce walked out into the arena, the sound of laughter beneath the cheers could be heard. He swallowed back the tightness in his throat as he glanced back at his woman, the doubt could be seen in his eyes.

She gave an encouraging smile. "Have fun," she called out to him as the laughter began to escalate.

Bruce smiled back at her before he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He turned around to face the son of Odin, who stood across from him in the vast pit. As he did so, his frame began to broaden and where he gained in width, he also made up for in height. His skin took on his familiar green hue and with a final pop from his back, the Hulk stood in his all of his glory. The laughter was quick to fade away at the sight of the huge green monster that now stood in their midst.

"Green One," called Thor from across the way. He was also bare chested and he was cracking his knuckles as he took a step forward. "It is good to see you again my friend! Come! Are you ready?"

The Hulk smirked before he glanced behind him to look at his woman. His green eyes were filled with deep affection as he grumbled to her, "Lo-ove..."

Ana couldn't help the giggle that slipped past her lips as she beckoned to her large mate. "Go! Have fun!"

With further permission from his mate, the Hulk allowed his smirk to grow before he turned back around. He clenched his fists as he took a few heavy footsteps further into the arena, his green eyes focused on his opponent/friend.

With one word from Odin, the match began.

It was like a clash of titans. Though the Hulk was larger than Thor, the Asgardian carried just as much strength within him. Their blows sounded like boulders crashing together and it wasn't long before the crowd was getting swept up into the match. Soon, there were cheers not only for the son of Odin but also for the Green One.

The match continued for some time, neither party showing any signs of weariness despite the pit now resembling a battlefield with the earth and stone gouged up and tossed aside. A few hours later, the match was finally brought to a standstill the moment the Hulk threw a powerful punch that tossed Thor straight across the arena and into the wall. He plowed straight through the stone and a pile of rubble fell over him.

Dead silence took over the crowd, the sight of their prince being tossed into a wall was not something they were used to seeing. It was not until the Hulk had made his way over to the rubble, and tossed aside a several large pieces of rubble, that the sound of Thor's laughter could be heard. The Hulk was smiling as he pulled the god of thunder from the mess, who was looking a little worse for wear, but was laughing all the same.

Thor reached out to land a heavy punch against the Hulk's massive bicep, who merely frowned down at the smaller male. "Well met my friend! You clearly win this round!" He was still laughing as he walked out of the rubble and held out a hand to his friend. "A clear show of strength from our new ally!"

The surrounding crown cheered, the relief palpable that the sight of their heir laughing heartily was a welcome one. The fact that the large hulking creature had been humble enough to help Thor to his feet after such a massive blow was thrown, and not gloat the fact, was a clear sign. This creature thought of Thor as an ally and friend.

It had been a good match and good lesson to the Asgardians. It showed just how much strength could be found within the least expected of places...

-o-

The first few weeks on Asgard had been an experience neither Bruce nor Ana would ever forget.

After having established themselves as welcome allies and friends of the realm, the couple had finally been shown to a room in the palace that held a device that would allow them to contact their family and friends back on Midgard. It was a technology that had a signal that could travel through a wild portal and connect with any device on Midgard. Exactly how it worked was something that Bruce was eager to learn about at a later, more appropriate time.

At this moment, the device was now reaching out to the Stark satellite that Jenn was attached to. The moment the connection had been made successfully, the sound of Sido's ecstatic voice coming from the strange blue crystal in the middle of the room was a balm to Ana's worry. She didn't realize just how much she had missed her mother and aunt.

Tony's usual nonchalance at the fact that he was talking to his best friend and little sister, who were on completely different planet, brought a sense of familiarity to the couple. It was strange how quickly they had become a family in the span of five months. Yet, that was what they had become. They were a family...

The thought still brought a sense of surreal happiness to Bruce...

"So, how is the baby?" asked Tony, bringing the entire conversation to a screeching halt in his typical way.

" _De quoi!_ Tony!" Sido's voice had cut in at the moment before she began chastising the playboy in very fast French. A few words could be made out, most in particular a few colorful choice curses that had made Ana start laughing to the point of tears. In any case, it was enough to break the silence and even Jenn's laughter was heard joining in by this point. After several more phrases in French, Tony's voice came back, this time sounding thoroughly surprised at the fact that Sido had downright given him a good talking to.

"Uh... What I had meant to ask was..." He paused at this and then he muttered something before sighing. "Fuck it, I need to know. Is there a bun in the oven or what? We know Ana's last shot didn't take. We've been sitting down here on our asses since you guys left over a month ago and haven't heard a word and I'm sure I'm not the only one dying to know!"

An audible thunk could be heard this time and Bruce was trying so hard not to laugh. It was obvious Mama Brandt had smacked Mr. Stark on the back of the head.

"What was that for?!"

"For being an asshole," said Sido in a huff. Ana could just imagine her mother standing there with her arms crossed beneath her breasts and her foot tapping against the floor. The look on her face would be on the border between angry and annoyed.

Ana glanced at Bruce, who looked at her in turn and smiled, the happy and proud look in his gentle brown eyes all the encouragement she needed. She looked at Thor then, who was standing on the opposite side of the table that held the blue crystal. He was standing beside Heimdall, who was listening to the proceedings with usual stoic expression. However, the amusement could be seen in his eyes. Both Asgardians had found the entire exchange to be rather funny. Thor had been kind enough not to laugh but he was smiling in a cheeky manner. When he caught Ana's gaze, his smile grew and he gave a nod as if to say, "go on."

She took in a deep breath and let it out in one fell swoop. "Yes."

Silence greeted this statement.

Silence that lasted for several long and thoughtful minutes before a sudden scream of joy permeated the room they were in. The screaming continued and the sound of thumping footsteps could be heard. "I'm going to be a _grand-mere_!" Sido cried with exultation. "Jenn! Did you hear her?! Ana is pregnant! _Un bebe!_ "

"Oui, oui! _I heard_ ma soeur! _Please let me go!_ "

"How far along?" asked Tony, ignoring the feminine squealing that was continuing in the background.

"Eight to nine weeks," said Bruce in answer, a large hand reaching down to splay affectionately against Ana's lower abdomen. Her hand had automatically reached down to hold it over his. "Give or take a day."

"Well then, good to know," said Tony, though he was sounding deep in thought. Bruce and Ana knew that tone of voice. The playboy was planning something...

"When will you be home?" asked Sido, the excitement could still be heard in her voice.

"Soon enough," said Ana in reply, the warmth in her heart at the sound of her family's voices surrounding her making her happier than she had ever felt so far. "We are still doing some research in regard to Cin's realm and her people. It has been fascinating."

"You'll have to share it with us when you get back," said Sido. "I want to hear all of it the moment you come home."

"Yes, Mama," said Ana, the smile on her face was filled with love.

"Good, take care of yourselves. We'll speak again soon."

It was a teary goodbye and promises to speak soon enough were made. The connection was broken between the two realms but it was, as always, only temporary.

-o-

A few more weeks had passed and Ana was learning so much from the records that were held concerning the Lyttans.

According to the Asgardians, the Lyttans were one of two races that called the far-reaching realm of desert and fire, known as Pyragia, their home. The original feral race of people were described as dark haired and dark eyed humanoids with tones of skin that ranged from russet to deep crimson. They were exceedingly tall, normally standing at a height between ten to twelve feet and possessed clawed hands and feet that were effective in their hunting the local, tough, wildlife. They had unique control over the constant flow of lava and fire that surrounded them in their native realm.

Lytta had discovered this realm in her journeys and had immediately fallen into place. The people had not been affected by their close proximity to the Olympian. Since their anger and rage was something that was a constant tie in with their control over their destructive powers, they had evolved to the point where they were in a constant state of calm and peace. Lytta's powers to incite fury, rage, and madness within a person did not affect them.

She had found her new home and they had, surprisingly, welcomed her.

Over the generations that followed, the race had split into two distinct types. The original Pyragians and all of the descendants of the Olympian that had called Pyragia her home. These people were simply called Lyttans, in honor of their ancestor. The distinct difference with the Lyttans was that they resembled their Olympian mother in looks, one could say more "human." Their skin tones ranged from pale to deep tan, depending on which genetics were more dominant. Thanks to Lytta's blonde hair, their hair color was a beautiful mix between blonds, brunettes, and the original dark tones. Occasionally, a red head might pop up to add more flavor. Their eyes ranged from blue to brown and their height, though tall, would never exceed past six feet. The telling sign that they were not truly Olympians nor Pyragians were of the strange red veins that were a prominent feature on the back of their necks.

The Lyttans looked harmless enough in comparison to their taller, native cousins. However, that stopped the moment they were provoked in any manner to quick anger or tension.

That was the moment when the red veins proved to be more than just some strange quirk of their lineage. They would resort to a more primal state of being, gaining height and strength in body, gaining clawed hands and feet. Their powers were close to that of their cousins' control over fire and heat save it was more explosive and more violent. Their tones would always darken to a crimson shade, their eyes always took on a yellow glow, and their red veins were a constant feature against their skin, pulsing and glowing with thermal energy. However, the true climax of this strange race, was their unique ability to merge with any living thing. They could, literally, merge their bodies either together or with another being to create a more powerful entity. It was almost unheard of. The fact that they could split back to their original forms was mind boggling.

The Asgardians did not know why the Lyttans had inherited such a drastic change of power in comparison to the Pyragians. Bor, Odin's father, who had been the one to forge an alliance with the realm, had thought it was because of the distinct difference in heritage. Where the Pyragians were more controlled after countless years of learning and evolving, Lytta's Olympian blood and her power to incite such anger, fury and raging madness within a person, brought an unknown element to the mix. It could be that the Lyttans had gained abilities that had been lying dormant within the original race only for them to be "reawakened," for lack of a better term, when Lytta's Olympian bloodline was thrown in. Or perhaps it was a distinct inheritance of power from Lytta's blood itself, enhancing an already powerful race.

Whatever the case, the changes had not been an unwelcome one.

The Pyragians had counted on the Lyttans as a needed balance to their calm and peaceful state of being. They were the soldiers that the Pyragians had learned long before to abandon in favor of a more utopian way of life. Though the Pyragians were well equipped to protect and to fight, they saw no honor in it. Unlike the Lyttans, who would fight and protect their home and loved ones to their last breath. They were the allies that Bor, and then Odin, called upon whenever war was called.

That alliance had ended the moment a cry for help had emerged from the realm. The very last of the records the Asgardians kept of the Lyttans were of the strange cry for help had reached the realm of Asgard, their cry had stated they were under attack by an unknown and dangerous enemy. "A hive of mindless things," was what the message pertained.

By the time Odin had his army ready for battle to help defend their allies, the portal that connected their realms was no longer there. The pathways had been cut off. The Gatekeeper of the time, Heimdall's predecessor, had said the realm was no more. It had vanished into nothing. It was as if it had never existed...

-o-

"I wonder what the Lyttans had done to bring the Chitauri into that other dimension?"

Bruce and Ana were lying in their bedroom after a long day of looking over the last of the records. After all they had read regarding Cin's people, they were no closer to finding out what had happened to them after that cry for help. It was obvious that the Lyttans had transported not only themselves and the Chitauri to that dark place, they had also brought their entire planet into that dark void.

Ana let out a sigh as she snuggled deeper against Bruce's chest, her nails light running over his firm stomach. "I do not know. From what I could get from her, she only has flashbacks of her time in that void. She was born there, I know that as much. How she escaped and for what purpose, I cannot say. She doesn't remember much at all." She closed her eyes and allowed the sound of Bruce's calm heartbeat to soothe her nerves. "I'm surprised she had even remembered her true name and the names of her family. From what you had told me, that is the first time that has ever happened..."

"Ana?" He looked down at her and reached out to brush her curls from her face. "Don't think about it too much. We'll figure it out eventually. Cin will remember more. Just give it time."

She didn't say anything in response to that though a soft smile touched her lips. A moment of silence passed as she breathed in and out, loving the peace she always felt with her mate. After her seventh breath, she opened her eyes and stared out into the distance. "Did you know that... according to Pyragian tradition... We are husband and wife?"

Bruce stilled a moment at that and he swallowed once before daring to speak. "How?"

"That day by the pond... When we were connected..." She looked up at him and smiled a little. "I read it in one of the records. I didn't show it to you. You were rather taken by that other record you were reading, I didn't want to disturb you over something so trivial. But... it happens when mates wish to be joined both in body and spirit. Such an intimate act made in such a natural place is more meaningful than any vow given in public ceremony." She laughed a little and shook her head, though the tears could be seen in her soft brown eyes. "If we had lived on Pyragia, our joining would have been celebrated by both of our families as a true union among the pack. Of course, it means nothing outside of that..."

Bruce was silent but he understood the meaning. He tightened his hold around her and pressed a firm kiss against her brow. "It means everything. I'm happy to know that Cin's ancestors would have looked upon us as husband and wife. As mates..." He pressed another kiss against her temple. "We're in this together for the long haul. All three of us." He then reached down to place a hand on her lower ab, still reeling over the fact that his child was growing in her.

They lay silent, enjoying the calm and peace they always felt when they were together...

"...Marry me..."

She glanced up at him, stared at him for a moment, before a huff of laughter escaped her. She moved to tuck her face within the crook of his neck. She inhaled the scent of him and gave a single nod of her head…


	46. Swept Away

_Mama You gave life to me_

_Turned a young one into a woman_

_And Mama_

_All I ever needed_

_All you had to offer_

_Was the promise of a lifetime of love_

_Now I know_

_There is no other_

_Love like a mother's love for her child_

_And I know_

_A love so complete_

_Someday must leave_

_Must say goodbye..._

**Goodbye's the Saddest Word – ** **Celine Dion**

_This is the end_

_Hold your breath and count to ten_

_Feel the earth move and then_

_Hear my heart burst again_

_Swept away, I'm stolen..._

**Skyfall – ** Adele

-o-

Chapter 46 **:** Swept Away

Swept away by the earnest hands of giggling females, Ana had not expected such a reaction when she and Bruce had announced their intent to be wed. Thor, who had been speaking with the All Father and the Queen within the throne room, bore witness to the exchange.

At the mention of their wishing to be married, Queen Frigga had allowed a bright smile to touch her beautiful features. A sparkle could be seen in her eyes as she walked toward Ana and grasped her by the shoulders. "Let us not delay, shall we? This is a very special occasion! Come, let us get you prepared."

"What?" asked Ana, her confusion quite evident the moment the Queen had turned her away from her mate and started walking her out of the room, her hold on Ana's shoulders firm. Ana had glanced back at Bruce, who was being held by the shoulder by Thor to keep him from going after the women. Odin was openly laughing as he watched his wife take the Lyttan away to be prepared in the customary manner of a true Asgardian woman.

Before Frigga had taken her from the room, Ana heard Thor's booming laugh behind them. "You have done it now, my friend! Mother is well known for her wedding ceremonies! We will have quite a bit to prepare for. Come, let us get you ready as well."

"But-"

"No hesitation! You came to us with the intent to wed and so you shall be wed. In true Asgardian fashion!"

It was by this time that other female attendants had begun to follow the Queen, her voice calling out to any available woman in the corridor to come help. At the mention of a wedding, excited giggles and squeals of joy emanated from those present and they were quick to help usher Ana to who knew where. Soon enough, she was being swept away to get prepared for a wedding ceremony that she and Bruce had not even expected so soon.

-o-

The wedding date was set for the following week.

What was normally referred to as Friday on Midgard was, back in Norse times, called Frigga's day. In honor of the goddess of marriage, it was tradition for all weddings to be addressed by the Queen on this day on Asgard. In preparation, Bruce and Ana had been separated to opposite sides of the palace and forbidden from seeing each other until the day of the wedding. It was the longest that Bruce and Ana had been away from each other. It was not a pleasant experience but the Asgardians were adamant at keeping them apart, as tradition dictated. Thankfully, neither lost control of their other selves. It seemed there was a subconscious understanding that this was something their quiet selves needed to do.

The pomp and ceremony of the traditions before an Asgard wedding were a bit too much. The night before the wedding, both the bride and groom had to endure a period of being cleansed in a ceremonial bath house. Deprived of their former garments, they were treated with various herbs and steam in the bath house, a symbol of their previous status being washed away. The next morning, they were taken to the throne room, both dressed in ceremonial garb. Nothing too fancy but it was rich enough for the good doctor and his bride to feel uncomfortable.

However, it was all brought to fruition the moment Ana was brought to the throne room, an audience of Asgardians watching on. Bruce was standing beside throne next to the Queen, dressed in a tunic and breeches of various shades of emerald and brown. The All Father was before the throne, a welcome smile on his aged face as he watched his son escort the Lyttan toward the throne. It was done in mimic of modern weddings held in Midgard of those who followed a traditional Abrahamic Christian ceremony. It was the most popular traditional wedding, even among those who did not follow that particular faith. Thor felt it best that they respect and honor that tradition that the bride and groom had been raised in.

It was a good decision.

The look on Bruce Banner's face as he watched Thor escort his bride toward the throne was one filled with awe and love. Frigga and her attendants had done a beautiful job of dressing Ana for the ceremony. While traditional Midgard garb called for white, Ana donned a gown in lovely red and earth tones that complimented well with her caramel skin tone and dark features. Upon her head was a garland of crimson flowers with emerald leaves and stems that grew locally in Asgard. It normally would have been a crown that would have been handed down from earlier generations but since this was a first generation of a Lyttan and Midgardian being wed, it was completely new.

As Ana walked, the shifting of her skirts seemed to accentuate the slight bulge of her lower belly. She was with child, heavy with child at such an early stage, and the sight of it was a welcome one. She carried a new generation within her. One that was merged from three different realms. Ones that had never met together in such a way before. The moment Thor had given Ana to Bruce, a slight kiss upon her fingers before giving her hand to her betrothed; it was as if a collective breath that had been held was released within the room. The relief was palpable. The feral couple were together again and the tension that had been quite obvious. It had been a surprise nothing had come from it.

Even the Asgardians knew how close they were cutting it when they had separated the two mates.

However, the sight of the feral couple together staring at one another with such longing and love made the separation worth it. They were so enamored with one another they barely noticed when the All Father had begun the ceremony. It seemed as if all of Asgardian upper class had been invited to ceremony as the crowd that watched the wedding numbered close to a thousand. The wedding party consisted only of Thor and Sif, who stood on the respective sides of the bride and groom.

When Odin had finished speaking, his words declaring strength in such a union and new generation to thrive under such strength between the mother and father, he finally turned to his son and gave a nod. Thor took a step forward to stop directly beside Bruce, noting that Sif was doing the exact same beside Ana. Both Asgardians had withdrawn long daggers from their belts, their sheathes decorated with the symbol of three interlocking triangles, the sign that belonged to the All Father. It was a declaration that the couple were under the protection of the House of Odin.

"Since you do not bear the weapons of your own forefathers to give in exchange for this union," said Odin, his single blazing blue eye flicking between Bruce and Ana. "I have had them made for you to pass on to your children and their children. This is a tradition that has been a part of Asgard for many generations. I hope you will do me the honor of continuing it within your family."

Bruce felt completely humbled as he took the long dagger from Thor, who gave an encouraging smile to his friend. Ana had done the same, taking the dagger from Sif and turning to face her mate. They had exchanged the daggers and were thrown off guard when Thor and Sif had presented two gold rings to the bride and groom soon after. They were simple open-ended bands that curled around the finger when worn. On one end of the band Thor's hammer, with Odin's symbol carved upon it, was the only decoration. "It is tradition here as well," said Thor by way of explanation as he handed the ring to Bruce.

Taking the rings and giving the daggers back for Thor and Sif to hold on to, the couple once again faced one another, taking each other’s left hand and placing the rings upon the fingers. It wasn't hard to note that Bruce was trembling slightly, the slight flush in his cheeks and the suspicious glint in his eyes a sign he was emotional.

With that done, the All Father took his own sword and placed the hilt of it underneath their joined hands. "Repeat these words and speak with conviction and honesty." Once the couple had focused their gaze Odin, he let loose a gentle breath. " _There shall be one end for us both. One bond after our vows. Nor shall our first love aimlessly perish. Happy am I to have won the joy of such a consort. I shall not go down basely in loneliness for these encircling bonds shall grip us in their midst. And within these bonds the certain hope remains of renewed love and death shall prove to have its own delights. Each world holds joy and in the twin regions shall the repose of our united souls win fame, our equal faithfulness in love._ "*

Bruce and Ana repeated the vow, the bride now openly crying as the last of the words finally hit home. Odin gave a broad smile as he placed a hand over their joined ones and gave them a firm shake. "You are now husband and wife. May you both live long with the strength that you carry within you and with each other."

A cheer rose up at these words as Odin removed his hand and sword from the couples'. As soon as the All Father had stepped away, Bruce had taken his wife firmly by the waist and captured her lips in a passionate kiss that had her nearly swooning in his arms. When he pulled away, Odin and Thor's booming laughter could be heard among the whoops and hollers from the crowd. Ana looked thoroughly ravished and a few of the Asgardian women were fanning themselves slightly with sly smiles on their faces after witnessing such a kiss. They knew what the Midgardian was capable of turning into. They could only imagine how he was in bed.

A hand slamming down on Bruce's shoulder caught his attention and he looked back at Thor, a smile touching his features. The good doctor was looking exceptionally happy. "Dr. Banner and Lady Banner," said the god of thunder with an excited smile. "My deepest affections to you my friends. Now that the ceremony is complete, let us adjourn to the great hall. Are you ready for the feast? This shall be a celebration like no other!"

"Everything is a celebration like no other for you my son," said Frigga as she stepped down from her place beside her husband and stopped in front of the newlyweds. She leaned into press a kiss upon Bruce and Ana's forehead. "A blessing," said the Queen as she moved away and smiled at them. "You will be fruitful. The life within you is a new beginning for all of our realms. A new union. You will need all the love and strength between you to face whatever challenges that may come your way. I hope that no ill falls upon you. Your lives have been difficult enough so far. You need peace. Just know that we are here should you need help."

"Thank you, your Majesty," said Bruce, bowing his head slightly as he pulled Ana closer beside him, his grip around her waist firm. She leaned in to place her head upon his shoulder, looking slightly tired from all the excitement of the day. She smiled at Frigga in thanks as the All Father had stepped down from the throne to take his wife's hand.

"Let us have no more talk of troubled times. There is a wedding feast to host," said Odin as he smiled at the newlyweds before taking his wife and descending the steps from the throne. Their son and Sif followed after as Bruce and Ana glanced at one another. Ana was smiling a little as she clasped Bruce's hand in her own. He returned the smile though the look on his face was one filled with slight awe.

"You look a little shocked _mon amant,_ " said Ana as they followed the Asgardians down the steps and out of the throne room. The sound of hundreds of footsteps followed after them as well as the sound of hundreds of conversations picking up as all the guests followed the newlyweds toward the great hall for the feast. Her hand had squeezed his in reassurance when he did not respond right away.

"I am a little," said Bruce after a moment as they walked, keeping a firm grip on Ana's hand. When he glanced down at her, he caught the questioning look in her soft brown eyes and his smile grew. "I never imagined..." He hesitated before his smile softened and his gentle brown eyes grew warm. "Mrs. Anamaria Banner... I like it."

Ana laughed a little as she leaned over to hug her husband's arm and sighed softly. "I do too..."

-o-

Their stay on Asgard had finally drawn to a close.

With copies of the records about the Lyttans to bring back to Midgard for further study and the ceremonial daggers from the wedding safely stashed in a single bag, Bruce and Ana were cast off with many well wishes from the Asgardians. Thor had accompanied them as he had done several months before. By this time Ana was four months pregnant and, though there were concerns regarding the child and mother's safety, Heimdall was adamant that the portal this time around would be gentle.

After much calming words to Bruce from his wife and even more reassurances from Thor, Heimdall and even Odin himself, they were ready. It took several moments for Odin to power up Heimdall's sword but with a bolt of lightning that streaked off into the star-filled expanse, a wild portal had been caught between that of Midgard and Asgard. With a powerful array of color and wind, Thor, Bruce and Ana were swept from the bridge of rainbow light and back toward home...

-o-

The sudden arrival of three people on the balcony of the personal apartments of Tony Stark did not go unnoticed. In fact, the residents had waited for quite some time for them. The moment the brilliant array of lightning had cleared and the swirling clouds of the portal had faded, a very eager mother was running forward and smothering her daughter in a bone crushing hug. A few moments of very quick French was spoken as she fawned over her daughter, touching her slight bulge with cooing noises. It was some time before the mother noticed the unique gold band on her daughter's left ring finger.

Silence followed as the mother quickly reached out and grabbed the left hand of the man who had stood very close beside them. Seeing the same band on the man's hand, Sidonie Brandt looked at her daughter and then at her daughter's man. A heartbeat passed before her squeal of joy emerged before both Dr. and Mrs. Banner were swept up into another bone crushing hug by the Brandt matriarch. "You are _married_?!"

It was at this time that Tony Stark and Jenn DuPont had emerged out onto the balcony. A shit eating grin could be seen on the playboy's face as he stopped just beside Thor, who was watching the entire scene with a wide, amused grin on his face. Jenn had moved toward the couple to give her own hugs, not missing the sobbing that Sido was now giving. The overwhelmed mother was murmuring in French as she took a step back away from her daughter to allow Jenn to hug Ana and Bruce, her sniffling a sign that she would be crying for some time.

Bruce was looking a little overwhelmed by the open display of emotion and his brown eyes caught Tony's hazel ones at that moment. Tony smiled as he beckoned to the good doctor. "Hey Big Guy, welcome home. Up for a drink? Let's leave all the mushy stuff to the women and get caught up."

Bruce could only show a relieved smile as he pulled himself away from Ana's side. His wife glanced at him in question and, seeing the desperate need to get away, smiled at him and turned back to speak with her aunt. Bruce leaned down to press a kiss against her temple before going off to join the men for a much needed drink.

"So," began Tony as he reached out swing an arm across Bruce's shoulders. Thor was following behind them, the amused smile still playing on his face. "Back from an adventure on another planet and you wind up getting hitched. How in the hell did you get yourself caught so easily? You should have at least put up a stronger fight. If I were you..."

Bruce tried to fight down the groan that was threatening to come out as Tony went off on another one of his infamous tangents about the joys of single life and parties and women. Which was odd because the playboy was in a happy relationship himself. Still, as Bruce allowed his friend to lead him into the apartment, he couldn't help but allow a small smile to touch his features.

It felt good to be home.

-o-

It didn't take long for Ana and Bruce to fall back into the swing of things once they had gotten home. Bruce had taken to catching up with his work. Ana was happily moving about their various floors in the tower, catching up lost time with those in her Pack.

Most of the time she was with her aunt and mother, helping with whatever projects that entailed with the family business of researching new medicines for various cancers and chronic diseases, especially those inherited from genetics. Though the company had been a front for the inner workings of the team that worked to hide Ana for so many years, now that they had merged with Stark Industries, they could place their focus back developing even more treatments. Ana had been raised in the family business and her knowledge in pharmaceuticals was becoming quite vast. Sido had hoped to leave the running of the company to her daughter if they had managed to find a cure for her condition. Well, though they had not found a cure, they had found an effective treatment in keeping her calm the moment she had met Dr. Bruce Banner. Sido was hoping to speak with Bruce to see if he would be interested in running the company with Ana. He was an intelligent man who had searched for a purpose in his life. Perhaps this would help him further...

Outside of the family business, Ana continued spending time with Pepper and Tony. She resumed picking on her older brother though with not as much fire as she had before. It seemed being pregnant had calmed her down considerably. At least until Tony continued to provoke her... The explosions that would emanate were just as violent as they had been before. Tony was happy to have Bruce and Ana back home.

Thor had gone off on his own in his search to find his beloved Jane. Now that he was free of any obligations, he bore the attitude of one excited to face the great unknown. He was going to claim the love of his Jane as he promised well over a year and half before. He had bid his friends goodbye and promised that he would be back as soon as able, bringing his lovely Jane with him.

Everyone had wished him luck in his quest for love.

A couple of weeks after their return, Ana was taken into one of the R&D labs where she was going to have her very first ultrasound of the baby. Though her pregnancy had been relatively calm for one such as her, recently she had finally been displaying a minor case in mood swings. One moment she was excessively happy and the next she would be crying for no reason at all. It was a blessed thing that was all her emotions had done. The family was surprised that Cin had been very, very quiet throughout the pregnancy outside of the times Tony would instigate her. In fact, Bruce had been fairly quiet as well; no signs of the Hulk could be seen. The couple had been quite content as long as they remained close to one another.

When it was time for the ultrasound to be done, the entire family was present to the occasion. Ana was nearly overwhelmed as she stared at the faces of her mother, her aunt, Tony and Pepper. All of them, save for Jenn (who couldn't), were watching her with varied expressions of worry as Bruce helped Ana onto the gurney. She was nervous, she could admit that, but having the faces of her family watching every move she made was not helping.

"Will all of you please stop looking at me like that? I am fine!" snapped Ana, after Bruce had helped her lay down. "It's just an ultrasound, not the actual birth!"

A soft chuckle could be heard as Bruce leaned over to press a kiss against her brow. "Relax Ana..."

She tried to, taking a deep breath and letting it loose before giving an apologetic smile to her family. "Sorry..."

Her mother simply laughed as she moved around the bed to stand beside her son-in-law and took her hand. "No apologies my sweet, we are only concerned. You were on Asgard for much of the pregnancy so far. Though I am sure they have quite a vast array of technology, we would feel better if my grand baby could actually be seen for ourselves."

Having a doctor for a mother, it was understandable and, though they had monitored the baby's health on Asgard, they did not ask to look at an image of the baby. They had thought it would be best for it to be a surprise with their loved ones at this moment. Ana gave another small smile and squeezed her mom's hand. "I know," she said as she before looking at the technician that Tony had as one of his many employees in Stark Tower. "Can we begin?"

The sonographer, a pretty young woman with wavy dark hair, smiled at Ana. "Of course, when you're ready."

Ana gave a nod and rolled up the hem of her blouse so her stomach was bare. The sonographer, who was prepping the water-based gel to apply to Ana's belly, turned around with the gel in hand and let out a screech in surprise. She had not been expecting to see the red veins that were focused on Ana's lower abdomen. They were pulsing beneath her skin, quick fluttering pulses that gave off a gentle yellow glow every now and again against the caramel flesh of her bulge.

Pepper was quick to get to the woman. "Teresa, we spoke about this..."

The woman took in a breath as she composed herself as she glanced quickly at Tony before looking at the couple, who were frowning slightly. "I'm sorry Ms. Potts. Dr. and Mrs. Banner, I was made aware of your unique situation before you came here. I guess it did not fully sink in... Again I'm sorry."

"She's going to be a mother, Teresa," said Tony, a cheeky grin playing on his goateed lips. "She is a mother from another world but a mother none the less. Her body works the way any female does so let's get on with it."

In a not so subtle way of saying "get the ball rolling", the woman named Teresa applied the gel to Ana's belly, being mindful of the strange veins that were focused around where the baby was growing. Once that was done, she turned to the monitor and took hold of the probe to place it against Ana's lower ab. It took a few rolls over the belly while the ultrasound scanned before a recognizable shape began to emerge on screen. Everyone's breath was drawn in as Teresa moved the probe with her left hand while she worked the keyboard with her right, the screen shifting beneath the rapid strokes of the technician's hand.

Within a matter of moments, the image took shape and the silence fell heavier than before as Teresa smiled up at the monitor. "Well, I can't tell what sex they are from their positions," she looked at the parents to be, trying not to laugh at the stunned expressions on their faces. "They look to be growing at a healthy rate for 16 weeks."

"They..." Bruce's voice was nothing more than a whisper, his face expressionless.

"What the hell man!" said Tony as he started to laugh. He walked over to slap a hand on the good doctor's shoulder and gave it a shake. "Twins! Ha! Way to overdo it. Oh, you're gonna gave your hands full..."

Bruce wasn't listening to his best friend, he was staring at the image of his kids, still growing and looking healthy. They were curled around one another, their little heads moving slightly as they seemed to squirm when the probe rolled over them.

Twins.

They were going to have twins...

-o-

"Bruce, we will be fine. Mama is only taking me shopping. We're going to be right up the street."

Dr. Bruce Banner was not feeling eager at the thought of being parted from his wife.

She was 18 weeks pregnant and her belly was showing clearer than before. Sido was taking her to get maternity clothes since her current wardrobe was now becoming tight around the waist and chest. It was an outing that both mother and daughter were looking forward too. However, Bruce was proving somewhat difficult to convince.

"You can shop for your clothes online and have them delivered here. Is there a reason for you need to leave the tower?"

A flash of yellow could be seen her soft brown eyes. The frown that touched her face was the first that had ever been directed toward Bruce. "I am going to go shopping with my _maman_. I do not need your blessing or your approval. It was simply a courtesy to let you know where we will be."

Bruce frowned in response, ignoring the shocked look on his mother-in-law's face as she stared between the couple. "And I appreciate it but you are not going." He caught the slight growl she gave in reply to that statement and he moved toward her, placing a large hand over her belly. "The LIFE Foundation is still out there. I don't want to risk your life or the life of our babies. I want you safe."

"Bruce," said Sido, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at the other woman, the hint of green in his eyes a telltale sign that this was Hulk who was brimming beneath the surface. They were in sync with their want to protect their mate and their young. "We will be not be alone and we will not be far. I'm taking Ana to the Limelight Marketplace. It's a designer mall, close to Stark Tower, right off of 6th Avenue. We are going to have Jenn and JARVIS keeping an eye on us from afar. Tony will have Happy drive us and Yann will be with us. There will be a whole team of our own milling with the customers to make sure a keen eye will be on everything around us." She could see the hesitation in her son-in-law's eyes. She could not blame him. "We will be protected. We will _not_ be gone long."

A moment of silence fell before the green faded from Bruce's brown eyes and he let out a heavy sigh. He turned his gaze to his wife and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I just want you safe," he murmured as he breathed in the scent of her, his love for her bringing an ache in his heart. He loved this woman so much... She had given him everything he had always hoped for. If anything were to happen to her...

"I know," said Ana, as she returned his embrace and buried her face within the warmth of his chest. She inhaled his scent as well, feeling the calm that saturated her senses. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to get angry with you, _mon amant_."

"You're forgiven," he said in her ear, a small smile touching his lips. "I know it's the hormones talking."

She giggled a little as her embrace tightened around him before he finally released her and moved away. "Go. Have fun with your mom."

"I'll bring something back for you," she said with a smile before leaning up to kiss his lips. With that, she turned away and went to take mother's hand. Sido smiled at her daughter, loving the excitement she could see there, before she looked at Bruce and mouthed a thank you.

He only nodded in that nervous way of his, his nerves still getting the best of him. There was a sick feeling in his gut as he watched his wife and her mother walk toward the elevator of his apartments. He couldn't rid himself of a terrible foreboding but he had no real good reason to keep his wife on lock down. Jenn and JARVIS were monitoring everything to do with the LIFE Foundation and, last he checked, Tony had gotten in touch with Nick Fury to add SHIELD to that monitoring. Ana and Sido were going to be well watched and there was a team on standby should anything happen.

Still, he didn't feel any better about it.

-o-

The Limelight Marketplace was an indoor marketplace housed within a landmark historic church. It used to be a famous nightclub before it was shut down and the marketplace was built in its place. Having more than 60 shops to choose from, there was a designer maternity store for the local high rise mothers-to-be. Once a new wardrobe was achieved, mother and daughter continued on their shopping, looking at various jewelry stores and shoe stores.

This was the first time in so many months that they were able to go out and be normal like any other mother and daughter. Both women were enjoying it immensely.

When they had their fill of shopping, they had gone to one of the local restaurants to enjoy a nice brunch, before deciding to call it quits. They had been gone for several hours and Ana was getting quite antsy to get back to her aunt, husband and brother and sister. Sido was also feeling that anxiousness. The familial link that had always been among mother, aunt and daughter had grown to include Bruce, Tony and Pepper. They had become a family now, a pack...

"Mama," said Ana, catching Sido's attention. "I'm going to go to the ladies' room, is Yann nearby?"

Sido glanced around and caught sight of the large, broad-shouldered man who was her constant companion. He was sitting at a table nearby, lightly picking at a piece of steak. He caught Sido's eye and winked. A faint blush touched her ivory cheeks as continued scanning the patrons of the restaurant. She had caught sight of Tony's man, Happy, on the other side of the restaurant, reading a newspaper and sipping a coffee. "Yes my angel, go on."

Ana got up from her chair, maneuvering around their many shopping bags, before she stopped beside her mother to press a kiss against her cheek. "Thank you for today Mama, it was fun. I missed this."

"You're welcome my sweet. Now go before the little ones press you further."

Ana's laughter was sweet as she walked off toward the restrooms, a light skip in her step while a hand rested lightly on her growing belly. As she disappeared into the restroom, she did not see the janitor who was emerging from a cleaning closet further up the hall, a mop in hand as he rolled a yellow bucket on wheels ahead of him. He had a cap held low over his eyes as he studied the door to the ladies' room before setting the mop aside and glanced around, making sure no one about. He slipped inside, his lean form tense...

-o-

Ana had found the ladies bathroom to be empty and she let out breath in frustration as she moved to an empty stall, feeling the babies pressing urgently against her bladder. Once that personal business was done, she left the stall as the toilet automatically flushed. She moved to one of the sinks to wash her hands, setting the water to warm as she got soap. It was as she was lathering her hands that the door opened and a man in a janitor's outfit came in. She caught sight of him in the mirror and immediately grew tense.

The man had removed his cap and his light brown hair fell to the sides of his temples. A light smile touched his lightly weathered features as his light gray eyes studied her. "Well, well... 01. We finally meet face to face." He had tossed the cap aside as he moved in a lazy way, his gaze roaming over her. "I have to say, Banner had gotten lucky in finding you, hadn't he?"

Ana let out a snarl at the name, a light yellow glow appearing in her eyes. She did not like the smell of this one. He was like Bruce but... something was _off_ about him. This one meant her harm.

The man laughed lightly as he stopped walking, watching as Ana turned swiftly around, her arms moving about her baby bump in a protective gesture. On her right wrist, she used her left forefinger to press a little button that was on her silver bracelet. An electronic signal emerged, an alarm calling out and reaching every available agent on Yann's team, Happy's team and any available SHIELD agent that may have followed them.

This one had gotten close... Too close...

The man had glanced down at surprise at the sight of the pregnant belly and his smile grew before his laugh emerged. "God, he didn't wait long did he? I can only imagine... It's going to be a shame really. Nothing against you but your man and I have some unfinished business. If getting to you is the only way to get to him, well..." He took a step toward her but not before the door to the bathroom was kicked open. The man whirled around on his heel, his smile turning into a sneer as he watched the large man who stood in the doorway.

Yann had his gun raised, the sight of a red dot wavering slightly between the man's brows. "I would suggest stepping away from the young woman..."

"Really," said the man, his laugh was borderline maniac as he turned to face Ana. "You want to do this here? This way? All right then... The quicker to get Banner here, the better."

"I would suggest you listen to the man if you value your life," said Ana, her voice mixed with snarling growls as she backed away against the sink counter. This man meant to harm her mate. No, he would not. She would not let him harm her mate or her young.

"I would be more worried for yourself," said the man before he suddenly pulled out a gun from the waistband of his pants. He managed to fire off two rounds in quick succession before he was shot from behind by Yann. The shots made their mark in the man's back, causing the man to stagger toward Ana from the force.

Ana had a shocked look on her face as she reached up to touch the two darts in her neck. In no time, the yellow glow in her eyes dulled and she slumped against the counter, the tranquilizer taking effect. The man had managed to catch Ana before she fell and he laid her on the floor in a less than gentle way. Yann had moved forward and grabbed the man from behind to pull him away from Ana's slumped form but not before the man looked at him.

Despite being shot, he did not look the least bit hindered. He reached up to wrap his hands around Yann's forearms and his grip tightened, the sound of breaking bones a nasty one. Yann gave out a harsh cry as the man flung Yann over his back and to the floor. He moved forward to place his foot over Yann's throat. "You should have left well enough alone. You might have survived," he said before he stomped down, effectively crushing Yann's throat and breaking his neck...

-o-

"Come on Mrs. Brandt, we have to move!"

" _Non!_ My daughter is still in there!"

Sido was finding herself being dragged out of the marketplace by Happy, the screams from the other shoppers at the sound of gunshots drawing chaos. Hundreds of people were running to the exits, trying to get to safety. Sido was not one of them.

The moment the electronic light on her own silver bracelet had gone off, Yann had rushed to the bathroom. Sido had made to follow her companion but Happy had blocked her and instead dragged her out of the restaurant altogether. She was putting up one hell of a fight but Happy was a strong man and dealt with the blows the French woman bestowed upon him as she cursed at him in her native tongue.

"Mr. Stark would kill me if anything happened to you," he said as he continued pulling Sido outside toward the sidewalk. "Your man will make sure Ana is ok. That is what you pay him for."

"Let me go!" she cried, trying to twist her arms from Happy's grip. Behind them, where the shoppers had run for their lives, several black cars were pulling up to a skidding stop on the curb in front of the old church. SHIELD agents had heeded the cry for help they had received from one of the Avengers members.

Sido's protests continued in vain but were effectively cut short the moment a great shuddering could be felt on the ground. All the crowds that had gathered out on the sidewalks and all cars that had driven on 6th Ave were brought to an abrupt halt when a massive creature crashed its way out of the historic landmark, flinging brick and pieces of stained glass every which way.

Silence fell as the monster from Harlem stood there, its thirteen foot frame riddled with exposed bone and murky green, muscled skin. The Abomination stared at the crowd before a low grumbling chuckle escaped him. In his right hand, he carried the unconscious form of Anamaria Banner, his grip around her firm; one might say it looked painful.

"I have an audience," he said. "Hm... Well, can't disappoint can I?" He looked around before he took a shuddering step forward and let out a bellowing roar that echoed for several blocks around. That was all it took before screams emerged and people began to run, cars began to crash, and chaos erupted even worse than before. The SHIELD agents that had arrived to help had not been expecting to come face to face with the Abomination and were already notifying headquarters as aimed their weapons. They knew they couldn't defeat this thing but they could try to distract it...

The Abomination watched all of this with a satisfied air, wondering how long it was going to take the Hulk to show his ugly green hide. He did not notice the dark-haired, pale woman who had elbowed the man who had held her in the gut. He had released his hold on her, bending over as he wrapped an arm around his stomach. The woman had grabbed the gun that the man had at his side and she aimed.

A well placed bullet knocked the Abomination against his temple and he grunted in annoyance, the bullet only grazing his thick hide. He looked around, his eyes scanning the agents in dark suits who were taking cover behind their black cars, before they settled on an unexpected sight of a woman. She was aiming a gun his way and the look in her pale blue eyes was fierce.

"Emil Blonsky," she called out to him, her breath heaving from the adrenaline rush. "Release my daughter."

The Abomination smiled, recognition touching his monstrous features, his jagged teeth a nasty sight, as he adjusted his hold on Ana's form. "Sidonie DuPont. You made quite a few enemies..." He shook his massive head as he took a few lumbering steps toward the woman and towered over her. Sido did not show any signs of fear as she aimed the gun higher, her pale blue eyes growing fierce with maternal instinct.

"Let my daughter go..."

"I don't believe I will," he said, staring at the woman thoughtfully. He had to admit, she had plenty of balls standing there and not showing an ounce of fear. "Your daughter is my ticket to getting Banner here. After that, I don't really care if you take her or if the LIFE Foundation does."

Sido fired off another shot, this time the bullet grazing him right between the brows. "You will not harm my son or daughter! Let her GO!" She fired off another shot, the bullet grazing off of the monster's massive, bony chest.

The Abomination growled deeply as he tightened his hold around the woman in his hand. "I think... you need to get out of the way..."

Sido barely had time to react before the monster's massive left hand had smacked her out of the way. The force of it had sent her flying toward the destroyed church, through a broken window pane, and landing in a bloody heap on the destroyed third level of the marketplace. The pain in her broken body was beyond words but the pain in her heart was worse...

She struggled to open her eyes, a weak cough escaped her and blood erupted. She tried to focus her gaze but all she could see was the blurry outline of something sticking out of her chest...

The tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her daughter and how she had failed...

Her sister would be so angry with her...

Bruce had been right...

_Ana... I am sorry... my angel..._

The pain was not so bad now...

Maybe she should close her eyes and rest...

Yes, rest would be good...

She had her family waiting for her and she couldn't be so tired...

She'll just close her eyes for a moment...

Just a moment...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer: The vow is a variation of an excerpt from the following (I claim no credit): Saxo Grammaticus. Gesta Danorum. cited in Hilda R. Ellis-Davidson. The Road to Hel. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 1943. pp. 53-54


	47. The Rage Inside

_Though your hands may bleed_

_And your body may lie broken_

_The rage you feel_

_Will consume you and destroy you_

_Let this rage inside you die._

_Every storm must soon give way._

_Raise your head up high_

_Raise your head up high_

_So the heavens hear you cry_

_Light the brightest fire,_

_From the highest mountain_

_So the whole world knows_

_That your spirit can't be broken..._

**Resolution** **–** VNV Nation

_I saw you cry today_

_The pain may fill you_

_I saw you shy away_

_The pain will not kill you_

_It has to end_

_Living in your head_

_Without anything to numb you_

_Living on the edge_

_Without anything to numb you_

_It has to end to begin..._

**Numb** **–** Sia

-o-

Chapter 47: The Rage Inside

The rage inside of him was building.

It was building at an alarming rate and the anguish had caught him off guard. It struck him in such a terrible way that he had dropped the tablet he had held, the tightening in his chest growing. It clattered to the tiled floor, the screen cracking in one large spiderweb that rendered the machine useless. It had cut off the signal he had received from his wife's bracelet, indicating that she was in trouble.

He took in a gulping breath as he raised a hand to his chest. There was something he had not been aware of on a conscience level – a tether of some kind within his mind that was linked to someone he cared for. It had suddenly snapped and the loss of it could be felt.

The Other Guy was raging beneath surface.

Something had happened to Ana's mother.

Something that had cut the link among the family, among the pack. He could feel the others: Tony, Jenn, Pepper, and – more importantly – his wife, who was in current danger. Yet Sido was nowhere among that strange mental link. He had not even been aware of feeling such a thing aside from Ana. Had Ana somehow managed to link all of them together on some telepathic level? How had he not been aware of it before now?

The door to his lab had swished open and Bruce glanced up at the sound of it, his breath coming in huge, gulping, gasps. Tony Stark had staggered in, his right hand clutching the glowing orb of the arc reactor in his chest, mimicking the same gasping breaths that Bruce was. His hazel eyes had locked with the green orbs of Bruce Banner and the communication that had passed between them went unspoken.

They both knew that Sido was dead.

"Get out... of here," said Tony, struggling to stay upright as the anguish grew. Through their familial link, they could feel the piercing sadness grow tenfold as Jenn's emotions rippled through all of them. She had felt her sister's loss the strongest of all.

"Go!" he cried out as he winced, feeling the shock and then the sadness from Pepper's emotions. She was a smart woman. She could figure out exactly what was going on with all of them. "Bruce, get out of here! You're going green!" He stumbled forward and nearly collided with a nearby counter that held various instruments used for the lab. "Go and... f-find my sister! Keep her safe! I'll be right behind you!"

Bruce did not need telling a third time and he was staggering out of the lab and toward the nearest stairwell. Everything on this floor had been made to withstand the Other Guy's attempts at smashing things to pieces. He had to get to a level that was not made in such a way...

He struggled down the steps, each floor passing with the anguish in his heart increasing. The Other Guy was yearning to be released. He had to find his women and his children and keep them safe. It was the moment he made it down to the floor below his own apartments that he finally felt it was time. He knew Tony would replace what was needed. He clutched his chest as he struggled through the guest apartment, staggering against several pieces of furniture, before he finally let loose a bellowing roar...

-o-

Captain America's heart was pounding with each passing moment.

It wasn't hard to see why.

Three months earlier, he had been on a mission to find the Abomination in a small town known as Lead, South Dakota. He had found nothing of use save for a few members of the guard who had indicated a man of scientific background who had paid the monster a visit in the Homestake. The man had not been registered officially when he had paid a visit. Which meant that there had to be some sort of bribery involved. There were several changes in staff since then and the ones who had worked to guard the monster the day that man had paid a visit were nowhere to be found. False aliases night have been used. However, all of them had checked out as verified in the US Registry as people of rank in the military before being pronounced as officially dead within the last couple of months. If they were truly dead or gone missing, they were still trying to find out.

The Abomination had gone missing and there was nothing tying him with other people to his disappearance. He had reached a dead-end. He had no other choice but to return to SHIELD with what little info he had procured.

Cut to present time and Steve Rogers was presented with the task of keeping an eye on one Jane Foster. Apparently, she had found an alien being who bore eerily similar characteristics to a current member of the Avengers. One who was searching for some missing kin of his. At the moment, they had been called upon by members of SHIELD who were taking on a particular monster that the Captain had searched for.

The Abomination had revealed his current location and he had within his grasp one Anamaria Banner. This was just going to hell in a hand basket...

Captain America glanced down at Hawkeye and then Black Widow, who were piloting the jet that was taking them to Midtown Manhattan. It was eerie how similar this jet ride was to the one seven months earlier when the Chitauri had attacked this very same place...

Swallowing the tightness in his throat, he glanced back at their charges. Jane Foster was sitting in a seat beside the man who called himself Erai. He was looking tense at the moment and the Captain could see the glowing red veins in the man's neck through the frazzled waves of his dark hair. He was tall and lean and looked every bit as nonchalant as Cin did in her quiet state. However, the Captain had seen the video footage of what this man could turn into. The ten-foot-tall, crimson-skinned, monstrosity gave Cin a run for her money. There was no doubt this alien was a member of the race that Cin was. Cin looked like a watered-down version of the real thing considering she was part of a human. Captain America couldn't help the foreboding that filled him. He wondered if the alien would be able to hold his own against the Abomination. He prayed to the heavens above that they would find a way out of this mess. He only knew it was a matter of time before the Hulk would emerge and followed closely behind by Iron Man.

Would this be a fight the Avengers could win? He hoped so...

-o-

There had been darkness for so long...

He could barely remember a time when he had seen the light and those had been the memories of his ancestors.

They had always remained hidden within the bowels of their home world. The only light they had had been the light of the magma that flowed up from within the core of their planet. It had warmed them. It gave energy and life. However, it was not the light of their home sun. They had lost that generations ago when the Chitauri had attacked them and the Asgardians had not heeded their call for help.

It was not the Asgardians' fault.

The Chitauri's technology had disrupted the Bifrost of their own planet. The message had been sent too late and, after all the devastation and the loss of lives, all that the ancestors in power at that time could do was use the Forbidden Stone in trying to seal away the evil that had descended upon them. That blood red shard, which had been placed with the Pyragians in trying to protect it from all those who sought its power, had been used to pull the realm of Pyragia and the evil away from the Nine Realms in an effort to protect other lives. Their realm had been cast into a separate realm of darkness, a separate reality from the time and space of the Nine Realms.

There they had remained for the last several millennia.

Until one of their own, a Lyttan woman by the Erin, had found a way out. She had been a direct descendant the Olympian Lytta. A warrior in her own right. A beloved sister and daughter. One of the two leaders on the seats of the council of their crumbling society. She had disappeared through the wild portal to who knew where. Her mission: To find a way to save their realm and their dying people within it. There had been a problem though. The Chitauri had caught sight of her when she had made the journey to the distant mountains where she had located the fluctuating portal. She had barely made it through alive with the help of some of the warriors who had traveled with her to protect her. They had lost their lives that day save for one, who had made it back to their underground city to deliver the news.

Erin was gone.

The wild portal had been a one-way trip. It had closed after she had disappeared within it.

Her plan had been to find a suitable being to merge with, to gain strength in knowledge and technology. To find a way to communicate to Asgard. To let their former ally know that the proud races of Pyragians and Lyttans were still alive and still in need of help.

That had been cycles ago. There was talk among the dwindling population that the Lady Erin had been lost. It had been a fleeting chance of her return. Not many had held their breath.

He had not been among them.

This was his sister. His twin. The other half of his shared soul.

He would have known if she was gone and dead, no matter the time and space that separated them...

It had happened the moment the Chitauri had been growing restless. They had been flying over the surface of the barren realm of Pyragia for so long that they had been a common sight to the scouts that ventured to the surface. The moment change had come was when the dark skies were no longer filled with the sight of hovering giants nor of the zipping vehicles of the humanoids. They had disappeared. Their mother ship, the one blight upon the endless expanse of stars and galaxies in the darkened skies of Pyragia, had been blown apart in an expansive array of flame and destruction.

The Chitauri were gone.

He had known then that it was sign from his sister. She had found a way to free them of one torture. Somehow, someway, she had survived and she was still trying to find a way to set them all free.

The celebrations had been immense. They all had celebrated the liberation of Pyragia from the hell that were the Chitauri. However, no sign of his sister had emerged. No sign of the Asgardians, nor of any from the Nine Realms, had emerged. They were still trapped within the dark realm. The ruling council had debated upon using the power of the Forbidden Stone as their ancestors had but the consensus remained. The stone was too powerful to bring back into the fold of the Nine Realms. That blood red shard of a gem, which had the power to distort the very fabric of reality itself, was better left where it was. Even if the Pyragians and Lyttans were dying because of it. The people had sworn an oath to that Ancient One and each new life born to them upheld that oath. The Forbidden Stone was to stay away from the hands of those corrupted in heart...

He agreed with them. He was a part of the ruling council, holding the seats he and his sister would have shared upon her return. She never did return. He was beginning to grow more worried as time passed.

_Where was Erin?_

It was the moment he felt her that brought his resolve. After nearly thirty cycles, he had finally caught wind of her in their familial link. It had been fleeting, a simple taste of happiness that he had not felt himself in so long, but it was _hers_. His sister was alive and she was _happy._ What had brought about such a feeling in her? What had brought such a happiness to his twin that he could feel?

The feeling had remained for some time though, coming is sporadic spurts. The happiness continued to grow stronger with each night that passed. Finally, after weeks of this happiness, it had exploded from within his heart of hearts. The happiness had spiraled out of control and, for a moment, he had caught a glimpse of his sister's mind from their link. He caught an image of a man with green skin and intense green eyes. The man's face was caught up in a moment of passion. His sister's passion was rivaled, her emotions screaming of love.

_Mate. Hulk. Bruce... Love... him..._

The image and thoughts had faded as quickly as they had come but it had done its job. He knew his sister was very much alive and she had found her mate. That much passion was not felt through a familial link unless it was a strong binding that made it so. The gladness in his heart was hampered down by the thought that his sister may have forgotten them. Had she merged with a being only to forget all that she was?

Her people, her family, would have taken precedence over any finding of a mate...

That had been the moment he decided to find her. He was the only living close blood that still bore a connection to Erin. Their other distant relatives had not felt a thing from their wayward daughter. It was after some preparation, where he had secured his seats on the ruling council with a cousin whom he trusted and gained promise that their people would be cared for, that he followed his link to his sister.

The link led him up to the barren surface of the world of Pyragia, through wastelands and valleys that held echoed memories of a time where lush green oases and a few great rivers had once fed life to this already hard world. He had followed the telepathic link of his twin up into some distant mountains and into a single cave that sparked with promise. He didn't wander very far before he was swept up into the gravitational pull of the very same wild portal that had taken his sister. It had appeared again and was taking him to the exact realm where she had been deposited.

The ride had been wild and erratic, filled with the images of distant galaxies, stars, and realms. He had emerged from the other side only to feel the cold expanse of space. He instinctively held the only breath he had and curled into himself, catching a fleeting glimpse of a blue and green planet below him, before darkness overcame him. His body had exploded with heat and he was pulled into the orbit of the planet below him. It had pulled him, faster and faster, until he had landed in one of the northern regions.

His landing had caused some damage to the surrounding area, which was mostly forested. He had not awoken until he felt a strange hand upon his brow. He had opened his eyes and found himself staring up a strange woman. She was a local of the strange realm he was in. She, and her companions, had taken him to their home, gave him clothes, and time to heal. He could not speak their language so his question about where he was and where his sister was had fallen upon ears that could not understand.

Over the weeks that had followed, he was beginning to understand their strange tongue well enough. He had made out that the woman who visited him each day was named Jane Foster. She was a woman of strong intelligence and was well-respected among her peers. There was something about her that pulled upon his mind. Some strange shadow of a link he could not fully grasp. Intuition guided him to the likely source. This woman was important to someone in this realm who was very close to his sister.

The emotions of a familial bond ran strong and deep among Lyttans and Pyragians should a connection be made. Those who were close with any member of the pack, be it friend or lover, were under the immediate protection of the family. They were a potential family member. The moment the telepathic link of the Pack binding touched a soul that was honored above all others, it was made instinctual to care for and protect that member, should the need arise.

Apparently, this Jane Foster was linked to his sister in some way.

He would protect her.

Sadly, the members of this realm did not treat their brethren with such close regard.

A group of people had come to Jane's home, people she did not trust. Erai could sense the unease within the human woman who had shown him so much kindness. It could not be blamed that he would protect the woman who was important to a member of his sister's new Pack. It had only been the fear of harming her that kept him from losing control over his calm side and unleashing hell upon the people who threatened the calm of Jane Foster. They had taken Jane and himself.

They were separated.

His anger had been given new rise the moment Jane was taken from him. She was safe. There was no need for fear of hurting her. He had changed to his feral state, exploding with power and unleashing all the combustible attacks he had within him. It was his surprise when he found that the chamber those people had placed him in was one that could withstand his attacks. His anger had only grown and the fire that burned within him was fueled even more. They gained in such intensity that one of his attacks had nearly melted the strange glass window he knew those people were hiding behind...

It had been sometime after that that Jane had appeared in the chamber.

At the sight of her safe, he had lost nearly all of his anger. The one link to his twin sister was here before him. There was a still a chance. He had reverted back to his calm state and collapsed to his knees. It had been then that Jane had gone to him and spoke to him in her language, basic sentences that he could grasp.

These people might know who he was looking for. There was a chance that his sister was an ally of theirs... A strange human woman who bore similar characteristics as he did. A human who could transform into a feral creature of red claws and glowing veins. Her power to incite explosive attacks and spontaneous combustion within a living being.

Oh yes...

His sister was one of the few within their realm who had the power to incite enough heat within a being that they would go aflame without an outside source. A telltale power that immediately caught his attention. When these people, a somewhat shadowy council that called themselves SHIELD, showed him moving images of this woman transforming into the feral creature; he had nearly wept with the joy that pierced his heart.

Erin was alive.

She had merged with a human woman, who had found a way to gain allies who had the knowledge and technology to communicate with Asgard. Seeing the Asgardian in those footage of battles was no illusion. He bore the hammer, Mjolnir, within his grasp. The features of the male spoke of a strong lineage. One who was a descendant of the great Asgard king Bor. His grandson perhaps?

He did not know for sure but he knew that this Asgard was an ally of his sister's. The link to this male was strong in the connection to Jane and this role of this Asgardian was clear. He was considered a close friend, even brother, to his sister. The confirmation through moving footage and written reports gave credence to that. However, the fear that his sister might have forgotten her people was also true.

She had no memory of her life before merging with the human that was named Anamaria Brandt.

He had been shown the old reports of his sister's growth within this strange realm the people called Earth. She had merged with a six-year-old human female. She had been captured and tested upon by another group of these people who cared little for lives outside of their own. She had grown with this human child and became fully ingrained within this child's body and mind. She could not separate from this girl even if she wanted to. She had merged fully with the child in trying to protect her life.

In doing so, she had forgotten herself...

She had given some clues of her earlier life based on her knowledge of the Chitauri and the other Forbidden Stone, the stone that controlled the fabric of space itself. She had protected it from falling into the wrong hands. A frost giant who masqueraded as an Asgardian, one who called himself Loki and brother of Thor. She had helped to protect this Forbidden Stone and in doing so had shown signs of remembering herself.

Yet, nothing else had sprung forth since then.

She had instead formed a new Pack, out of instinct, and gained new family along the way. She had found a human male who was much like herself. Calm and small in stature and yet, when provoked in anger or anxiety, would erupt into a large, green being. His name was Dr. Bruce Banner.

Bruce.

Hulk.

His brother by way of becoming his sister's chosen mate.

Erin's new family cared deeply for her. She had found a new mother, aunt, sister, brothers, and mate. It was not surprising that she could not remember. Who would wish to remember the darkness of their world when the light of this one was so much brighter?

The sadness that had touched him was a keen one.

His twin had forgotten him...

However, there was a part of her that still wished to remember her old life.

The Asgardian who cared for Jane, whose full name was Thor Odinson, son of the All Father, had taken his sister and her mate to Asgard some several months earlier. She had gone to find out about her people. She was craving for answers. She still felt the link between them.

It was only when they had finally returned to Earth that he demanded to be taken to his sister.

The people of SHIELD had requested that he wait awhile longer, if only to allow his sister to relax. When he had been told of his sister's pregnancy, and that they were twins, had brought him to his knees in shock. Tears of happiness had welled within his eyes and he bowed his head in thanks to the heavens above. His sister was carrying new life within her. She had formed such a strong bond with her mate that she had become gifted with life from one who was not of her own people. Much as their ancestor Lytta had...

He had to protect his sister and her new pack at all costs...

Now, this was where his path in life had led him to.

He was in one of the strange flying vehicles with Jane beside him and a few members of the special group that his sister was a part of within SHIELD. They had gotten word of his sister being taken by a dangerous creature who might have worked for the same group of people who tortured his twin earlier in her human's life. The anger was brimming beneath the surface of his skin. The anger was heating with each passing moment. His sister was in the hands of this monster. None of the people here were strong enough to take this creature down. Only Jane's reassuring gestures and calm words kept him from exploding.

Jane's Asgardian had disappeared a couple of weeks ago so no one knew how to reach him. The Metal Man, the one his sister's mental link pulled to as – and this pain at this thought was a sharp one – a new older brother, was strong in his suit but perhaps not strong enough.

His new brother by way of mate bond was the only one strong enough to fight this monster hand to hand. However, there was no guarantee of success. He had barely survived their last encounter... Yet, this was his mate and young on the line. A man so desperate to protect his family would prove strong.

He only hoped he would prove to be of help to this new Pack. He would be a stranger among them. Yet, their link to his sister would show that he was a wanted ally.

This monster, this Abomination, would wish he had never breathed life in this realm once Erai was done with him.

His sister would ask no less of her twin.

-o-

~End of part 2~

 


	48. Tell Me You're Real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This intermission made me think from a couple of parts of my story where some lines I had written for Bruce to say had remained. It had stuck with me for a long time after I had posted them and my mind has been slowly cooking this for the right time. This is that time.
> 
> FYI: This is completely AU from the story. It stands on its own. A "what if" if perhaps another Bruce, in another timeline and universe, if he dreamed of these events.

_Ouch..._

_I have lost myself again..._

_Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found_

_Yeah, I think that I might break_

_Lost myself again and I feel unsafe_

_Be my friend, hold me_

_Wrap me up, unfold me..._

_I am small and needy_

_Warm me up and breathe me..._

**Breathe Me** **–** Sia

 

_It's breaking me..._

_I'm falling apart..._

**The Fight Inside** – Red

-o-

~Intermission~

Chapter 48: Tell Me You're Real

_"Tell me you're real... Tell me you're mine!" He thrust up into her tight, wetness. His body was trembling, his hold on her tightening to the point of being painful._

_"Always," said Ana in a breathy sigh as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her right hand moving up to grasp the back of his neck, her fingers disappearing into the thick, brown waves of his hair. She fell apart in a quiet way, her climax more subdued, while she felt him thrust one last time into her. He groaned as he filled her with his warm seed, several spurts filling her womb, though there was no reason other than to claim everything within her as already his. Marking her as his. She was already with his child..._

_He was trembling by the time the last pulse of his climax faded from his body but the warmth that was falling from his eyes and onto the skin of Ana's neck continued. He did not release his hold of her, though the urgency of his need to claim her was now softening. He kept his face buried within the crook of her neck and took in a shuddering breath. "Tell me this is for real," he said, his voice muffled against her skin. "Tell me this isn't a dream... I don't want to wake up. You... You..." He took in a shuddering breath as he nuzzled her neck and a soft sob escaped him. "I couldn't live if you were just a figment of my mind... I would never want to wake up..."_

-o-

_He could never get enough of waking up to the feel of her tangled around him._

_It was like he had awoken to a completely different life in a completely different universe._

_One where he almost felt normal. He had a place he actually could do legitimate work and a woman he absolutely adored. He was afraid that one day he would wake up and find himself back in his little dingy, one room hovel in Calcutta. He would be alone, in the dark, afraid of what the day might bring that had the potential to set him off. He was afraid this was all some beautiful dream..._

-o-

"Annaa..."

His voice was one of the first things that brought his consciousness back to the waking world.

The next was the feeling if his hips grinding against a thin mattress, his hardness seeking a warmth that was not real. An unconscious act that was left over from his dreams.

_The pleasure and warmth..._

The fact that he was dreaming did not stop the groan that escaped him as his body took over, his muscles twitching, and the grip on his thin pillow growing taunt. He bit back the next groan as his climax pulled him under, his dreams holding the whispers of soft flesh, gentle whimpers, and the promise of a life so much better that what he had now.

The moment his climax subsided, he was left with a feeling of emptiness.

He reached out a hand to the space beside him on the bed, a subconscious act from his vivid dreams, and the emptiness that greeted his reach was declaration enough.

_Just another dream..._

Dr. Bruce Banner opened his eyes and stared at the space on his right. Before, he had always seen Betty in that spot. His fiancée from a life gone by. Now, his loneliness must have cooked his imagination into overdrive. Now, all that he could see was a pair of brown eyes, thick copper brown curls, and a large, sweet smile gazing back at him from that spot. Her face was never really clear but her eyes and that smile always remained with his waking thoughts.

He took in breath, trying to choke down the lump that formed in his throat as he turned away from the empty spot. He could feel the Other Guy humming beneath the surface of his consciousness, the need for his mate, _their_ mate, remaining ever strong. The Other Guy wanted to find their women. He wanted to feel the warmth that his fiery mate had to offer. He wanted to hold the side of her that was soft and calm, which brought him soothing calm in turn.

_Ana..._

A name so simple that had changed everything within the span of several months.

He slowly moved into a sitting position before bringing his legs over the edge to settle down on the cold floor of his one room abode. His body trembled in reaction but he slowly stood up and made his way over to the solitary sink that hung precariously against the brick wall, which was across from his sleeping area.

He raised his eyes to the broken mirror in front of him, seeing the weariness in his brown eyes, before he turned on the faucet and tried to bathe the sweat from his face. He ignored the sound of the heavy traffic outside of his window, a sound that was no longer familiar or welcome. Calcutta had been a much-needed escape and reprieve. Now, it was just his prison. He knew that there was a chance for him to be happy. To be free.

Outside of this reality at least...

_If only..._

He raised his eyes to stare at his reflection. He stared, long and hard, before he frowned and turned away from the sight. What was the matter with him? Believing in whatever strange dreams his mind cooked up? There was no way in hell that such a person could exist. A beautiful woman who understood him, who shared his fears and desires, who honestly _knew_ what it was like to have a monster held within...

He ignored the rising of his heartbeat at the thought of his dream woman.

The Other Guy was craving her so _badly_...

 _She's there... Our_ Mate _... Needs us..._

He could feel this throat growing tight as the emotions of the dreams came forth. A promise of happiness and pleasure. There was no true promise of peace but she was always by his side...

He pushed those thoughts back savagely to the darkest recesses of his mind as he hurried to pull out his simple clothing. A plum shirt, a pair of beige slacks, and a light brown, very wrinkled, tweed jacket. He stared at his ensemble before he felt a sudden rush of excitement. This almost seemed to be the same outfit he was wearing when he first met _her_ in his dreams.

That first dream that began this entire torment.

Dr. Banner sucked in a breath and tried to calm his nerves.

They had been merely dreams. A strange concoction of his subconscious that manufactured these deep, unfulfilled, longings within him. They were not real. Of course, anyone would dream of having another person who understood what they were going through. He had no one else to relate to. It was only a given his mind would come up with some substitute.

Still, he sometimes wished his subconscious would not be so vivid...

Each day that had passed since he started having these dreams of this woman, more and more of the emotions were carrying over to his waking thoughts. Today was going to bring a change. A good or bad change, he had no idea.

One thing he was sure of. He would not be seeing any of those dreams becoming a reality. He couldn't risk the life of another just because he wanted to be close...

His dreams would have to do...

He turned away from the clothes resting on his thin mattress as he went to bathe as best he could from the slow flow of water from the small sink. He took in a breath, trying to make himself forget the dreams from last night...

Knowing that trying to forget such a joy would be a fool's errand...

-o-

_"Tell me you're real... Tell me you're mine..."_


	49. Part 3: Everything to Gain

_Enemy_

_Familiar friend_

_My beginning and my end_

_Broken truth_

_It finds me_

_The fight inside is_

_Coursing through my veins_

_The war inside_

_Is hurting me again_

_Pulls me under_

_Without you_

_The fight inside is breaking me again..._

**Nothing and Everything** **–** Red

-o-

~Part 3~

Chapter 49: Everything to Gain

There was nothing to lose and yet everything to gain.

The Abomination had a distinct feeling that this was one fight that he would win.

He had the one weakness of the Hulk literally within his grasp: A young wife pregnant with his child.

Dr. Bruce Banner was certain to take his – the Abomination's – life should his young family be thrown into the wrong hands. The Hulk would try everything in his power to kill him and save his woman. Yet, the thoughts of this did not bother him. He already had the upper hand in this situation. No matter the outcome of this fight, young Mrs. Banner would not be home safe with her husband this night...

-o-

The Little Guy had once again, willingly, given him full reins.

It was often this way when it came towards Ana.

Towards Cin.

There was no disagreement when it came to the safety of their women. The only time they had ever come in agreement before was toward the safety of the ones they loved. Betty had filled that void at first... but now...

_Anamaria... Erin..._

Her true names rang through his mental link with his wife.

Ana and Cin. Two halves of one whole. So much like they were...

The Little Guy knew that the only way to save their women and their young was to allow the Hulk to become dominant and try to defeat the Abomination. There was no war within this time. Now, they were both in sync with their desires: Save their family.

The location of the stores that Ana had gone with her mother was not far from Stark Tower and it didn't take long for the Hulk to jump from one building to another, following after the pull his mate had on him. The sight of destruction here was much as it had been then in Harlem: total chaos and pandemonium. However, it was the sight of the Abomination holding an unconscious Ana that got the rage to a boiling point. With a huge roar of anger, the Hulk had swung down from the tall building he had clung to and aimed straight for the monstrosity.

The Abomination heard him before he saw him and held out the female, her slightly round belly on display and in target of the Hulk's wrath. The Hulk saw this and immediately turned his body in an almost impressive display of flexibility, changing his aim and instead landing twenty feet away against some abandoned cars. Broken pieces of concrete flew in an explosion from the force before the dust settled and the Hulk got himself out of the crater he had made. His eyes were only on the enemy before him, a deadly enemy that now held his mate and young within his grasp. The Little Guy was aching from deep within...

_Save her... Save our babies... Our wife... Our children..._

"Ours," said Hulk, his voice grumbling deeply as he clenched his massive green fists. "Always. Let... her... GO!"

The Abomination let out a deep chuckle as he pulled his hand close, pulling Ana close, and gently sniffing her hair. "Yours?" he said, his gravely, monstrous voice echoing across the now abandoned street. Save for a few dedicated SHIELD members who stood in alleyways and on rooftops, everything else was deserted. "She is, isn't she?" He sniffed her again and chuckled. "She has your scent all over her... On her... In her... You were thorough with this little whore, weren't you? Found the one female in heat that could take you and you stake your claim." A chuckle escaped the monster, a terrible manic glint in his eye as he leaned down, not to sniff her, but to trail his tongue slowly against her neck. "Perhaps she needs to be shown what a true Alpha male is..."

The Hulk's roar of anger was like music to the Abomination's ears as he turned to properly face his nemesis. "Heh... If you think you can get her back... Then come take her." He tightened his grip on the woman before he looked as if about to brace himself. He rolled his shoulders and then...

He leapt onto the roof of what was left of the historic church before leaping to the building across from it. The Abomination had a set course in mind and he knew that the Hulk would follow. Sure enough, the Hulk was right on his tail, his roars of rage echoing for miles around. The Abomination's large feet were destroying the roof of each building that he ran on. Off in the distance, he could see what he had expected: An unmarked black helicopter making its way toward him.

The smirk touched his face as he caught sight of the large net that was being lowered from the helicopter, opening itself up. He kept on running from roof to roof until he was close to the helicopter to take aim. Since he had a four-foot advantage in height, his longer more limbs meant that the Hulk was having a hard time keeping up. He heard the Hulk's roars cut short the moment the woman was airborne.

The unconscious woman went sailing through the air, her limbs waving dangerously about, before she was caught up in the net. Her body was showing signs of red veins glowing with suppressed heat, her clothing was showing burning holes in various places but more so around her round belly. The Hulk let out another roar, this one filled with pain as he hurried past the Abomination to get to the helicopter that was carrying his mate away. His green eyes were focused on the swaying net that he barely noticed the Abomination cutting in front him and, using his momentum, taking the Hulk by the arm and swinging him back down to the street below.

The Hulk crashed through the brick wall and glass windows of a building across the street. He could hear the sound of screaming and scurrying feet as the people who worked in this building attempted to avoid being hit. The Hulk rolled to a stop but didn't hesitate to get back to his feet. He rushed back out the way he had been thrown and used the building for leverage as he leapt back toward the rooftops. He crashed to a stop, his green eyes searching the skies frantically above. He could feel the pull of his mate stronger than ever now. He followed the link between them, moving quickly across the rooftops. He could see the helicopter in the distance, its precious load swaying dangerously close to the buildings around it. He let out another roar in panic as he pushed his body to the limits. He had to get to his mate...

He could hear the sound of grumbling laughter as the Abomination appeared from his left, slamming into the Hulk with enough force to throw him back. "Hulk... You're not going to win this one..."

The Hulk was getting desperate as he got back to his feet, wiping the green blood from the cut on the corner of his mouth. His eyes were still focused on the sight of the fleeing helicopter. His mate was in that net and he couldn't get to her...

His rage was blinding as, instead of attacking the monstrosity, he turned away and raced in the opposite direction. He could feel the pull of Cin with deep within his mind and heart, the aching pain of being so far from him was making her own anger rise, even while unconscious. If he could keep the Abomination away and follow that pull, he would get to her no matter where they took her. However, the Abomination was not going to give up so easily and was quick to block the Hulk's attempts at trying to get to his mate.

Each attempt at trying to past the bastard was met with pounding fists, roars of rage, and chuckling laughter. The Abomination was winning this round... Simply because, the Hulk was so focused on getting to his mate instead of fighting him. The Hulk, seeing that he was not going to make it, roared and started pounding his frustrations against the Abomination.

"That's more like it," said the monstrosity as he took each hit. "Show me how much you hate it. The weakness... It's eating at you. You can't save her." He raised his fist and threw a powerful punch against the Hulk's face. The green being went flying back from the force and off the rooftops back to the street below. He let out a groan as a huge shuddering thud landed right beside him. He opened his eyes as he held a hand to his head. The Abomination was standing over him and placed a heavy foot against the Hulk's chest. "Such a waste..."

The Hulk growled as he stared up at the Abomination, his hatred for this monster was deep and unyielding. He dared to take his mate, touch his mate... He would die for this.

The sound of a jet flying overhead did not gain the attention of the fighting monsters.

However, the feel of a very heavy projectile slamming him away from the Hulk did get the attention of the Abomination. He was thrown back from the force and crashed into the building behind him, one that was still showing signs of rebuilding from the previous battle in the city. The monster crawled out of the rubble of the ground floor of the building, turning his attention to the sight of blond-haired male close by. The projectile had turned out to be a hammer and it was caught by the male, his red cape flowing from the rising breeze of the power that flowed through him. His voice spoke with an authority that bore no mistake to any who had happened to be listening. This man was angry. "You have chosen your battles poorly this day." He started to swing his hammer, the wind rising around him as his sparking gaze focused on the Abomination. "This family is under the protection of the House of Odin."

And with that, Thor flew forward and swung his hammer, knocking the Abomination clear off of his feet...

-o-

The helicopter that was fleeing the scene of the fight had one particular passenger aboard that wished he wasn't in this situation. Dr. Anthony Parsons had been assigned to join in on the mission of obtaining the specimen for recapture. He was armed with only a single gun that housed tranquilizers which were meant to be fired at the female should she be awoken prior to getting her back to base. So far, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Occasionally, he would glance out the window, catching sight of the female swaying in the net beneath them. Each time he saw her, a twinge of guilt would assault him. Though they had worked several months for this, Dr. Parsons couldn't shake the feeling that everything they were doing now... was just wrong.

He could see that this female was not a project any longer.

She was going to be mother. She had people who loved her and would fight to the death for her. From all he had seen of these people over the months, they cared for one another deeply. How many people had he known would be so willing to die for another? No one in the company he worked for, that was for certain.

Dr. Parsons swallowed the tightness in his throat as he looked at the gun in his hand and then up at the pilot and the guard in the seat beside him. His hand trembled once before resolve gave him the strength he needed. For the first time in twenty years, the doctor finally listened to the nagging voice of his conscious. Quietly, un-buckling himself from his seat, he lifted the gun and fired a dart at the armed guard, the dart hitting its mark in the bare neck of the man. The guard let out a shout in surprise before slumping over in a dead faint. Dr. Parsons quickly got out of his seat and held the gun to the neck of the pilot. "You're going to turn this thing around and land... Be careful with the cargo."

The pilot was caught off guard by the sudden aggressive doctor holding the dart gun against his neck. Not looking to be brought under the same involuntary nap as his coworker, the pilot had no qualms with turning the copter around. They didn't pay him enough for this shit. His job was just to fly the copter to where the passengers needed to go. His passenger needed to land so, he would land the thing.

Just as the pilot was turning the copter, a jet passed over them at surprising speeds. The next moment, something had landed with against the nose of the machine. It landed with such force that the helicopter veered off course and was starting into a tailspin. All within the machine were thrown by the force of the thing that had hit them. The doctor had managed to get himself up right and caught sight of a pair of glowing, yellow eyes staring right back at him. The gender was all wrong. The skin was completely crimson. Yet, there was no mistaking what this creature was.

Its claws were burning with heat as it pried the door open and the last thought that Dr. Parsons had was relief. He wouldn't be dying this day with a guilty conscience. He started laughing, a manic glint in his eye, as he took the dart gun and fired it at the pilot, knowing what was coming. This man didn't need to be awake for this. The moment the claws had found their mark in the doctor's lungs, he was still laughing. The heat that engulfed him brought him a sense of peace. At least, the female would be able to get back to her family. And he hoped that they would get the LIFE Foundation in the end...

-o-

Iron Man had chased after the helicopter the moment he caught sight of the Hulk battling with the Abomination in the streets below. The moment he saw Thor flying down from swirling clouds above, the metal man wondered if the god of thunder had felt the loss of Sido like the rest of them...

Ignoring the battle that was raging below, he pushed all he could into the suit, his flight decreasing the distance between himself and his little sister. He could see her swaying in the net, not moving an inch. Pain pierced his heart at the thought of his little nieces or nephews being hurt.

"JARVIS," he growled but the AI was already far ahead of his master as the visor displayed his calculations of a successful capture should he fire the helicopter down and catch Ana at the same time.

The odds were not in his favor.

There was just too much of a chance of him harming his little sister in the process.

"Fuck," he muttered as he kept on after the copter, the pull in his mind and chest leading him straight to his sister. He kept running scenarios over and over in his head, looking at the local area. The best bet for him was to try to shoot the thing down while they were over a body of water. But the lake was too far from the direction they were going and the nearest river...

His thoughts were cut short as a very familiar black jet flew overhead in the opposite direction. The back hatch was open and a very tall, crimson-skinned, figure had leapt from it. From the height of the being, it had enough leverage so that when it had jumped, it was careening straight for the copter. It was letting out a serious of deep roars and the sight of the fire burning from its clawed hands and feet told Iron Man more than enough. This thing was on his side.

The moment it landed on the copter, it had made the machine go into a tailspin. It was melting the side door and glass of the machine before it had gotten halfway inside. The helicopter continued to spin out of control and with it, the net holding Ana was dangerously close to slamming into one of the buildings.

Without hesitation, Iron Man flew straight for his sister, taking aim and firing an energy blast at the cable tethering the net to the copter. The moment the cable snapped, the net holding Ana began to fall...

He caught her just before she hit the roof of the building below them. He held her close as he landed on the roof. He was careful as he set her down, pulling the net off and away from her still form. His scanners checked her vitals, her body, and the babies within. Surprisingly, with all that she had gone through, there was no sign of physical trauma. He let out the breath he had held before he glanced up, catching sight of a fantastic explosion as the helicopter continued to fall and crash down to the street below. The creature had emerged from the fiery rubble, bending and melting the broken pieces of the cockpit that kept it trapped. The fire had no effect on its crimson hide and the glowing veins were testament to the fact that it was a definite ally. Its glowing eyes immediately found Iron Man and, once free of the wreckage, it took a huge leap up to the building and landed right in front of him.

For the first time, he could appreciate the lineage Cin called her own. This Lyttan male was the real thing. Ten feet of lean muscle and glowing clawed hands and feet, the dark frazzled hair that hung around his gaunt face failed to hide the yellow orbs that stared at Ana. Not paying Iron Man any mind, he gently reached out clawed finger to gently run it against Ana's bare cheek. The moment the contact had been made, it was like a set of floodgates had been opened within Iron Man's mind.

Memories flooded from within him, memories that showed of a time and place that no human had ever known...

-o-

_The sight of a curly, dark-haired girl with beautiful russet skin could be seen running through some caves that glowed with ethereal light. She had turned her head to look at him and deep blue eyes danced with love as she waved at him. Love filled his heart at the sight of her. "Brother, come!" she cried, her excitement was contagious. "The lake is just this way!"_

_She started to run faster but he had no problem keeping up with her. She glanced back at him again and her laughter echoed off the walls of the cave. "Erai! This place is just beautiful!" She danced ahead of him as she held out her hands to him. "Come my brother! My twin! We must dance for the ancestors!"_

_He reached out to take her hand in his own, the same beautiful russet color, and he was pulled into a dance that had no name save for pure, unadulterated joy. She kept on circling around him, his own deeper laughter joining with hers as he twirled her. Her skirts flowed about her as they came to a stop on the edge of an underground lake. Deep within this lake, plants and fish glowed with phosphorescent colors. The light flowed up through the surface and covered the surrounding walls in a myriad of colors._

" _Look my brother," she said, as she kneeled on the edge of this lake. She pointed to the wavering surface as he kneeled down beside her. He looked down at the water and caught the pair of the same blue eyes as his sister staring back at him._

" _We resemble one another exactly," she said as she reached out to take his hand. "Yet, we are the two halves of other souls lost somewhere in those Nine realms." She gave his hand a squeeze as she looked up at him, her deep blue eyes showing worry. "We share the same side of their souls and they share ours... I worry we may not find them in this lifetime..."_

" _Erin," he said, his smile was gentle as he reached out a hand to brush his sister's cheek. The sight of her red veins glowing from his touch was shared by the sight of red veins glowing in his fingertips. "We will find a way out of this dark realm and when we do, our mates will find us."_

" _Do you think so, brother?" she asked, the smile on her face was bittersweet._

" _I believe it," he said, his hand fell from her cheek as he turned to stare at his reflection, his frazzled dark waves falling from the ponytail that kept it in check. "We are still young but our people's lifespans are long. If they have not been born yet within the Nine Realms, they will soon. The longer we stay here, the harder it would be for them to find us. The harder it would be for our people to find theirs. The Bonding of Mates are so rare between our people now... We're dying because we are trapped in this place. We are stagnant. We have to free our people from this place."_

" _I'll find us a way out Erai," said Erin, casting her blue gaze to the lake. "I swear it... We'll be free as a people and then... we will be free to flourish with our destined mates."_

-o-

Iron Man would have stumbled back from the sudden jolt of memories that flooded his mind if the suit had not kept his feet firmly planted on the roof. If he had thought that the link between Ana/Cin and him had been strong, it was nothing compared to what she had with this male Lyttan. This was her real brother by blood. Her _twin._

The name Erai continued to bounce around his head as he stared at the Lyttan than at Ana, who had sighed softly from the touch. The red veins in her cheeks were glowing softly before they faded. Ana seemed to be more relaxed than she had been a moment ago, even unconscious she knew she was close to those she trusted.

" _Bro... ther..._ " Erai growled as he reached out a large, clawed hand and settled it firmly against Iron Man's shoulder. He gave it a gentle shake, mindful of how much smaller the metal man was compared to him, before dropped his hand and turned on his feet. " _Hulk... Bruce... Bonded bro... ther. Help._ "

Iron Man didn't need to ask the Lyttan twice what he meant and he gave a firm nod as he backed away from the Lyttan, Ana held carefully in his arms. "Go on Erai, I got our baby sis. Go help the Big Guy. And... make sure that bastard pays."

Erai nodded once with understanding, the smirk on his crimson lips a sight to see, before he leapt from the roof...

-o-

Thor found himself being thrown back against the broad form of the Hulk, the punch from this massive beast was a hell of a lot heavier than expected. The force had knocked both of the Avengers clear off their feet and into the rubble of another building.

The Abomination was laughing at their pathetic attempts at trying to subdue him. He was much stronger now. He was more than a match for them. "Pathetic," he growled as he flexed his massive fists. "Is that all you got?"

The answer to his question came flying at him, several projectiles exploding against his broad frame. He growled as he whirled around, his attention diverted by the sight of a black jet hovering some several hundred feet away. It was distraction enough because the humming sound of Thor's hammer slammed into him yet again, knocking the monster straight off his own feet and skidding down the street, breaking concrete along the way. He crashed against an abandoned city bus, which than crashed into the nearest storefront of the building behind it.

The Hulk was letting out heavy breaths as he got to his feet to stand beside his friend, his rage still brimming beneath the surface. The panic he had felt had abated the moment he felt the calm from his mate through their mental link. She was with her brother. Iron Man had managed to get her back. His mate was in safe hands and now he could concentrate on killing this thing in front of him for taking her in the first place.

The Abomination had gotten to his own feet, wiping the blood from his eyes as he pulled himself out of what was left of the city bus. He caught sight of the black jet flying overhead before hovering low near the Hulk and his blond friend. Its back hatch had opened and let loose another passenger, this one dressed in red, white and blue and carrying a round shield that bore the same patriotic colors. Once this new player to the battle was safe on the ground the jet had pulled away and was flying out of sight.

The Abomination could not believe this.

This was supposed to be a fight between the Hulk and himself. Not against these weaklings.

The Abomination had taken several slow steps forward, his massive fists clenched tightly as the anger began to show. "What the hell is this?!" He roared, his thunderous voice echoing. "This is between you and me, Hulk!" He stopped, his gaze traveling over the sight of the others before setting on the green form in the middle. "You were always weak! Now, look at you! Too weak to even fight on your own!"

The Hulk heard all of this and his growl was deep as he curled his large hands into fists. He took a step forward but not before Thor had reached out a hand to curl around a massive forearm. Hulk looked at Thor, his green eyes intense as the anger began to grow at being held back.

Thor was not the least bit worried of being attacked, he could see the worry in the big male's green eyes. "Do not throw yourself into harm's way my friend," he said, his blue eyes focusing on the approaching form of the Abomination. "You are to be a father. What would your mate and your children do should you be harmed?"

Hulk could appreciate the sentiment but he pulled the god's hand from his arm and pushed him back away. He looked Captain America and reached out to push him back as well. "My... fight," he grumbled. "Stay away."

Both men would have protested but both men could understand the need. This was his fight and his fight alone. One's own honor. If he could not beat this monstrosity to protect his family, what good was his strength? They heeded his request and stayed where they were as Hulk started to walk forward, preparing himself for a fight that was going to be much worse than the last.

He took in a breath as he started running toward the Abomination, his anger rising with each step he took as thoughts of his mate being hurt, of the one who was mother lying dead not several blocks from where they were, filled him. The Abomination was running right at him, a terrible smirk dancing on his monstrous lips, a nightmarish rehash of their earlier fight, though this time it was in Midtown and in broad daylight. With a clash that sounded like two large boulders slamming together, the two monsters crashed together.

This time though, it was the Hulk's force that threw the other monster back. Before they had even landed in a crashing sprawl against the broken concrete of the street, Hulk was already throwing punches. There was no holding back as he repeatedly smashed his fists over and over into the face of the creature he hated above all others. They both fell over and over before the Abomination had taken Hulk's fists and threw him off with their momentum. The Hulk went sailing into the nearest building just as the monstrosity got to his feet and spat out a wad of blood. He wiped his mouth and ran after the Hulk, intending to finish this battle once and for all.

It went on this way for some time, both large creatures fighting from one end of the street to the other, both creatures showing no signs of slowing down. It was a devastating scene and those that were watching knew that they were going to have to put a stop to this soon, or else there would be no more Midtown to defend. It was when the Abomination had taken the Hulk by the neck and slammed him down against the broken street, that the group decided enough was enough.

They were about to make a move when a blur of fire had emerged from the rooftops and down to the broken street. It moved quickly over toppled street lamps, crushed cars, and rubble from broken buildings. It did not stop in its haste toward the two monsters fighting until it had slammed into the Abomination. The explosion that followed was a brilliant sight and what was even better was, after the explosion had dissipated, seeing the massive set of claws that were now stabbed deep into the torso of the Abomination.

The monstrosity stared into the glowing, yellow orbs of this new creature that had come into the fray. The crimson-skinned thing let out a snarl before another explosion of heat and flame erupted from inside the Abomination's skin. He flew back from the attack, mottled moss colored skin ripping away as the pain that tore through the Abomination's senses was the first true pain he had felt in a long time. He fell in against the broken street, more pieces of concrete flying as he landed in a bloody heap. Struggling to raise his head, he looked at the sight of his own stomach torn to shreds. It was already healing but the fact that he had been damaged so easily caught him off guard.

He struggled to his feet, intent on killing the little red skinned shit that came from out of nowhere, when he paused at the sight before him. The red thing was helping the Hulk to his feet, it was taller than the hulk but much skinnier in muscle mass. It said something along the lines of "help" and "brother" before it reached out a clawed hand and gripped the back of Hulk's neck tightly.

The Hulk didn't fight off the thing, instead he focused his green eyes on the Abomination, and a wicked grin appeared. The red thing had pulsating glowing veins emerging from its skin and with each sickening second that passed, the red veins would latch onto various places on the Hulk. His neck, his shoulders, his torso, his arms and legs. The sound of popping and crunching bones and of skin ripping apart was too much for those around them to bear listening to much less see. However, it was like some gruesome car crash, you couldn't help but look.

The red thing looked to be in immense pain but it gritted its teeth as its own skin separated and began to latch on to the Hulk. Glowing heat erupted as muscles, tendons, tissue, and finally bone, were absorbed by the red veins that were now merging themselves with the Hulk's massive frame. After several sickening moments, the last of the creature could be seen at the very base of Hulk's neck, a hint of crimson skin, before the green skin grew over, revealing nothing more than fiercely growing red patch.

Throughout this whole ordeal, the glowing red veins could be seen pulsating under the Hulk's green skin. He had gained two feet in height, he had gained muscle mass, and the moment his green eyes faded to nothing more than glowing, yellow orbs, those watching knew that the battle had just been outmatched.

The Hulk clenched his massive green fists before he opened them. Two large balls of fire could be seen in his hands, the flames wavering underneath the glow of the red veins pulsing beneath his skin.

 _This_ was more like it...


	50. The Desperation

_I have no patience_

_When I see that you are_

_Filled with greed_

_The only thing_

_That satisfies you_

_Is when_

_I_

_Bleed_

** Illustration of Desperation ** **_–_ ** Raised Fist

_It's gonna take a lot_

_To drag me away from you_

_There's nothing_

_That a hundred men_

_or_

_More_

_Could ever do_

_I'll fight for you_

** Fight for you ** **_–_ ** Jason Derulo

-o-

Chapter 50: The Desperation

The desperation was hitting at her from all sides.

Feelings of anger, shock, disbelief, sadness...

A melting pot of varied emotions from different people who mattered the most to her. Her pack was in chaos. The matriarch, the Mother, the one who helped to start the pack. The one who had saved her life and that of Ana's...

The link between them, which had been the strongest outside of the one with her mate, was gone.

Sido was _gone..._

_Mama..._

The cry that she felt came from deep within her heart of hearts, from her human. It was a cry so familiar. A reminder of how she had been from those hellish days of being prisoner to the LIFE Foundation in their terrible underground laboratories. Ana had felt the loss of her mother and she was keening in pain. Though their body was incapacitated their minds were on full alert. Their babies were all right, despite the stress and the heartache.

There wasn't much they could do to stop the bastards from taking them from their pack, their family, after that son of a bitch hit them with that familiar tranquilizer. It rendered them incapable of moving but kept them aware of their surroundings. It was something only the LIFE Foundation had ever used on her to keep her from lashing out. That was before they had found out about her combustible powers...

Ana was crying out louder, this time in frustration, as she could sense the urgency of their mate. Their Green One was close and he was not happy in having his women too far from him. Despite the strenuous pull on their link, despite the effort in trying to get to wherever she was, something was keeping her mate from getting to her.

Her own anger began to build the moment she felt Ana curling up within her mental walls as she used to before the Pack had formed. She was aching to be back within the safe embrace of her husband and family. She could feel their babies stirring within their womb, their twins getting restless from the stress. They were safe for now but they could sense their mother's and father's distress. For much of their short lives so far, they had been surrounded by nothing but love. Aside from the slight stress Uncle Tony caused in his teasing, which they knew was not meant for anything else but affection, a brother showing his love to his sister. He was family, part of the pack, they could feel the love of their mother's brother to her.

 _This_ stress was completely different. They had never known their parents to ever be too far from one another and when their grandmother had suddenly been ripped from the link...

Even they had sensed the loss. They were crying out in their own tiny mental voices, trying to comfort their mother as best they could, though they did not fully understand what was truly happening.

There had been restless moments when they were swayed from one place to another and their mate had pursued them relentlessly until...

He was too far away.

Panic welled up within her. Their link could not be broken but she did not want to be far from her mate. She promised to never be far from him. The panic intertwined with Ana's and they wished they could break through the drug that incapacitated their body. They continued to sway from one place to another when the swaying finally became erratic and then they were falling...

Until a pair of arms had caught her and held her closely as they hovered down to a solid surface. "I got you Ana! Don't worry. You're safe- Holy hell..."

The sound of something crashing caught her hearing, whooshing blades striking air before striking concrete and then metal and vinyl crunching before an explosion echoed the surrounding area. A few tense moments later, there was nothing more than the sound of the burning fire from whatever had crashed before something had fallen to a stop close beside them. There was a familiar heat that moved over her in waves, a familiar scent that pulled on her heart-strings. A moment later, a hot touch against her cheek caused an explosion of memories. Memories of a time she had forgotten...

_Erai._

Her _twin_ was here. Her brother by blood. How had he come to be here? How had he known where to find her? She had forgotten about her twin, the one other body that shared the same half of her soul. Just like that, some of memories began to resurface. Her life before Earth. Her vow to free her people from the darkness and the means to go about doing it. She had been so close and yet she had lost the main core of her mission. She had faltered in her duty. She had allowed herself to merge too closely to the human child who had saved her... Yet, they would not have survived if she did not.

Well, there were no regrets in her actions. Without Ana, she would have never survived and would have never known of her mate. The one all Lyttans and Pyragians craved to find. She would have never found him and his own quiet self, Bruce. The beautiful lives that grew within their body would have never come to fruition. She would not have changed anything of the path that lead her to her mate. She was a firm believer in the universe working in such a way for things to take place so that a balance could be restored. A catalyst had been called to bring a wayward child back into the fold.

Pyragia needed to find its way back into the Nine Realms and back with other life. Their duty in protecting the other realms from the Chitauri was long over. The Lyttan who had been Erin had been called forth as that catalyst to open the links between their lost realm and the Nine Realms. To see to the destruction of the Chitauri. Her brother had been called to strengthen that link and to open it further. With her link to brother fully restored, it could only mean that it was time to bring the rest of their people home...

The moment she felt Erai's touch, his link with her reaffirmed itself and she quickly latched on, pulling him into a mental embrace. Ana, sensing the new link and the feeling of pure love, latched on to the link as well and wrapped the mental embrace of the twins around herself. The strong love of the twins was what she needed to feel. It was only strengthened further by the feel of Tony so close in that link and her own babies latching onto the happiness. It brought comfort to her grieving. It only grew stronger the moment the links to the rest of the family attached firmly to Erai. A desperation of need to help staunch the bleeding of the open wound that had been Sido's death.

The love that Cin felt toward her twin was like a balm to the grief the family was feeling. It helped to lend strength to the ones who were fighting the battle with the monster who had killed Ana's mother. It was this desperation to avenge the death of the human woman Cin and Ana called Mama that spurred Erai into action.

He was going to help to help the Hulk, his brother by Bonded Mate.

Cin and Ana simply told their twin to make sure that monster felt pain as much as they had...

Tony had expressed the same sentiment vocally. All Erai did was smile before he had leapt off the roof of the building. He had moved quickly among the streets, after the pull toward his sister's mate. Cin could see through the link with her twin the action taking place. Her pride was immense the moment her twin had dealt serious damage to the Abomination. The moment he had merged with her mate to even the odds in the fight, to allow her mate the honor of defeating this thing, all she could do was let out a mental cry of approval and love. Erai was not her twin for nothing.

-o-

He had moved too quickly for the Abomination to react.

The moment this alien version of the Hulk had landed a punch to the gut of the Abomination, the heat that he felt was nothing like the gunfire, missile fire, or explosions he had experienced in the past in this form. This burn reached down to the very marrow of his bones where it left an ache in his ribs and spine. He had doubled over in surprise as he gasped for breath and feeling, for the second time that day, weak.

He had tried to recover but the Hulk had slammed another punch against his gut only this time his fingers had dug deep into his skin. The mottled green skin had separated with ease at the burning heat of those blunt fingers. His skin, his muscles, his very tissue, seemed to be burning away quicker than his healing factor could allow. The fist dug deep only for the fingers to spread, bypassing intestines and major organs, only for the burning hand to wrap around a thick spinal cord. There was no blood pouring from the wound thanks to the burning heat that emanated from the Hulk's right arm.

The Abomination could only let out a roar in pain, reaching out to wrap his massive hands around the Hulk's arm. He felt every single moment of that hand digging through his insides, the pain beyond anything he had ever known in this form. He tried digging his fingers into the bicep of the arm that was deep in his torso, trying to get a good grip to pull his hand out. The only thing he did was successfully piss the Hulk off even more.

The yellow orbs glowed with heat as the Hulk let out a snarl. "Die."

Without hesitation, the Hulk reached out to grip the massive bony chest of his enemy. His fingers kept a strong grip on the revealed sternum as his right hand twisted. The spinal cord snapped and he roared, letting out a massive amount of heat as fire erupted from within the Abomination. The monster let out a terrible howl in pain as he felt the snap and then there was nothing else but heat.

He didn't feel anything but the burn the moment the Hulk lifted a massive foot and kicked his nemesis away from him. The result was the part of his spinal cord that the Hulk had a strong grip on was ripped from the rest of his body. It was pulled out and the connection the Abomination had with the lower half of his body was essentially cut loose. A gaping wound with a terrible sight of inner organs flailing about was left in the center of his torso. He was thrown back from the force, landed several times, before he fell in a bloody heap against the ruined city street.

His body twitched as the blood poured from his gut, his eyes wide open in shock as the pain registered before unconsciousness took over. Was he dead? The onlookers that were the members of the Avengers and the agents of SHIELD hoped he was.

Having one's spine ripped out was a sure way to putting an end to a fight.

The alien Hulk seemed to think so because he had dropped the portion of spine he had with little regard before he had turned on his massive feet and leapt onto the roof of the closest building. He then began to leap from one roof to another, the pull he felt leading him straight to his heart's desire. He could see the familiar sight of red and gold armor on a distant roof and the moment the sight of copper brown curls within the protective embrace of that armor spurred him on even further.

He leapt over roof after roof until he came to a crash on the roof where his brother in all but blood held his mate safely. The Iron Man had waited for this and he immediately secured Ana's limp form in his arms and stood up. He moved slowly carefully toward this strange version of Hulk but it was not because of hesitation. It was to show the Hulk the care in which he, Iron Man, was handling Hulk's mate. She was heavy with children in her womb and every delicate movement counted toward a worried father.

"They’re all right," said Tony, his gaze focused on the Hulk's face. "There's no trauma. She's still not able to move but she's aware."

The Hulk could only grumble in response as he reached out to take his mate in his arms. He kneeled down on that rooftop and held Ana carefully as his gaze swept over her, drinking in the sight of her. He continued grumbling in a sorrowful way as he moved to sit down and adjusted his hold of her to accommodate the change in position. He could sense her relief in being back in his embrace and he could only lean down to rub his forehead against hers. He could sense his young, his twins, crying out in their tiny voices through their familial mental link. The love and joy of being close to their father again was pure.

The Hulk smiled at this and closed his eyes. Deep within his own mind, the Little Guy was showing his relief and happiness. Their mate and young were safe. This was all that mattered to him at the moment.

Deep within the Hulk, and yet separate from him, Erai was feeling the same relief. His twin was back with her mate. Feeling the deep love and relief between the two of them for himself was nearly overwhelming. All Erai could do was enjoy it. He had not felt such joy since the last he had been in Erin's presence. He had missed his twin and he thanked the universe for granting him the chance to be with her again.

The battle was over for now. They had won.

Yet, all who had saw this battle knew this just another in a series to come.

The question was would the Avengers be ready for what was to come?

 


	51. The Aftermath

_Loving can hurt_

_Loving can hurt sometimes_

_But it's the only thing_

_That I know_

_And when it gets hard_

_You know it can get hard sometimes_

_It is the only thing that makes us feel alive_

_We keep this love in a photograph_

_We make these memories for ourselves_

_Where our eyes are never closing_

_Hearts are never broken_

_And time's forever frozen still_

_So, you can keep me Inside your pocket_

_You won't ever be alone..._

**Photograph** – Ed Sheeran

_Looking at it now_

_It all seems so simple_

_I remember_

_You took a Polaroid of us_

_Then discovered_

_The rest of the world was black and white_

_But we were in screaming color..._

**Out of the Woods** _–_ Taylor Swift

-o-

Chapter 51 **:** The Aftermath

The aftermath of the battle was quieter than it had been when the Chitauri had attacked months earlier. The fighting had done a fair amount of property damage, the injuries and casualties were still being counted, and members of SHIELD, government officials, and local authorities were quick to get started on the cleanup.

Up above on a rooftop, Iron Man was watching as the alien looking Hulk cradled Ana closely, his deep grumblings of worry and relief a soothing balm to the billionaire. It had been a very close call. They had almost lost Ana...

No one could say how long Hulk had held on to his mate, taking in the calming presence of her, but he had finally raised his head and looked at Iron Man. "Take... her," he grumbled, carefully adjusting his hold on her.

Iron Man did not question why, he knew what was to come, and so he stepped forward and carefully took Ana back within his arms. He moved slowly away, his gaze on the Hulk's massive form as it began to tremble and shake. The Hulk gritted his teeth in pain as he blinked once and then twice, the glowing yellow fading from his eyes. From the back of his neck, a mass of bubbling glowing red veins began to emerge. It grew bigger and bigger before the two long strings of tendons emerged from the mass and stuck to the ground.

It was a gruesome sight as, moment by painful moment, the alien who had merged with the Hulk began to take form. First bones emerged and then normal veins, tendons, muscular structure, nerves, more veins... It continued on and on until the last of the red veins detached from the Hulk's neck and burrowed themselves back into the familiar tall form of the Lyttan named Erai. His crimson skin was growing back into place, his form complete and nude. He took a few stumbling steps back from the Hulk before kneeling down, taking few breaths to relax his body from the lingering pain of separating from Hulk's form.

The Hulk himself had an unfocused look in his green eyes, his body quivering from the strangeness that had happened, from the battles he had fought. Both forms, newly separated, began to reduce in size to their calmer states. The battles were over and they were both so tired...

Bruce Banner was himself again, tired and battered, but whole. He had a smile on his face as he looked at Iron Man, whispered his thanks, before keeling over in a dead faint. Erai, who was behind him, did not faint though he looked just as exhausted. He remained where he was, looking as close to a human as one could. The sweat on his russet skin was gleaming under the sunlight, the tell-tale signs of his red veins visible against the skin of his neck. His blue eyes focused on the limp form of Ana while his frazzled dark hair tousled about in the rising wind of an approaching aircraft.

No one spoke.

There were no words to say.

The approaching aircraft was a familiar black jet. They would have company soon and then who knew what next...

-o-

There wasn't as much damage done to Midtown as there had been from the Chitauri attack but it didn't make the turmoil any less. Jane Foster had seen the destruction front and center from the safety of the black jet that belonged to SHIELD. She had watched as Thor emerged from the sky, as he was apt to do, to join in the battle that was happening between the two large monsters on the street below. She could not stop the sudden joy that erupted from her heart at seeing him once again with her own eyes. She had missed her Asgardian so much.

She couldn't sit still long enough to be discharged from the jet once the Black Widow had finally landed the plane once the battles were finally over. She had to get to him. She couldn't lose him again...

Once she was free, nimbly dodging the hands of one of the agents aboard who had attempted to stop her, she rushed to the battered street. She ran as fast as she could, searching frantically for a familiar red cape and blond head. She caught sight of him standing beside Captain America, looking deep in conversation, and shouted out his name in joy, pumping her legs harder. "Thor!"

Hearing his name being called, he turned his head in her direction and the look in his electric blue eyes portrayed disbelief as they focused on her. "Jane?"

She couldn't stop the sob that welled up from within her as she kept running straight toward him and flung her arms around his neck...

-o-

The moment awareness came to her through the darkness was the moment she felt her fingers finally responding to her brain's commands. They were curling around a familiar larger hand, a gesture that was as natural as breathing when this particular presence was close to her. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she squeezed the hand that held hers, a soft sigh escaping when she felt the familiar hand squeeze hers in return.

"Bruce," she said, her voice coming out in a gentle whisper. She turned her head to her right to focus her gaze on her husband and her relief grew. For a moment, she had feared that she would never see her love again. Yet, here he was lying beside her, his soft brown waves falling over his brow as he slept peacefully. A soft smile had twitched on the corners of his lips the moment he had heard her whisper. He did not wake and she did not have the heart to wake him. He had been through so much in his endeavors to rescue her and their twins. He deserved to rest.

She closed her eyes and tried her best not to think about the losses they had suffered. It was hard not to when the link that had been between Sido and her was now silent and blank. Her mother was dead...

The sob that had threatened her since she had felt the connection snap finally emerged. A keening escaped her and her body began to tremble as the ache in heart grew. Her mother was truly gone. How could her mama be gone? She was supposed to be there for the birth of her grandchildren. There were supposed to be birthday parties, holidays, family gatherings...

The thoughts continued to bombard her and she curled into herself, releasing her hold on her mate's hand. She wrapped her arms around growing belly and allowed the sobbing to grow, allowed the anguish to find its way out of her. The grief that touched every fiber of her being seemed to flow out, the warmth on the back of her neck began to grow hot. Her red veins pulsed against her visible caramel flesh and her sobbing grew until the sudden feel of strong arms wrapped around her.

"Sh, sh, sh... It's all right," said a deep and familiar voice. She was pulled into an embrace that did not belong to her husband however it was no less welcome. She turned into the embrace that Tony offered as he sat on the edge of the bed to hold her close. "It's gonna be all right..."

"Tony," said Ana, her voice nothing more than a whimper between her gasping sobs. " _Elle est morte_ , _elle est morte, elle est morte_... _Elle ne peut pas être_... _Elle ne peut pas!_ "

Tony said nothing as he held her close, running his hand over her copper curls in an effort to calm her. Her heartbreaking words whimpered in French stabbed Tony to his core: _She's dead... She can't be... She can't..._

Her sobs continued to go on, her trembling body refusing to relax from the death grip she had on Tony's shirt. All he could do was comfort his sister as best he was able, knowing that there were no words that could help ease the pain she was feeling. They sat that way for some time before she had finally tired herself out and fell into an exhausted slumber. Tony carefully eased her back on to the bed beside Bruce, turning her carefully so that way she was close to Bruce, who was still asleep.

He took a step back to look at his close friend and sister in all but blood. A muscle ticked in his jaw before he released the breath he had held. Despite the pain that Ana was going through, he couldn't help but feel relieved that she and the twins were safe. He wouldn't know what any of them would have done had the LIFE Foundation succeeded in their plans. The regret that went through the entire group was the loss of Sido. If she had just listened to Happy and evacuated with the rest of the people she may just still be alive.

Ignoring that train of thought for now, he left the room and stepped out into the hallway of the medical ward. It consisted of a few floors that were directly below the R&D labs and had state of the art medical equipment at their disposal. Bruce, Ana and Erai were now recuperating from the stress of the battles on the highest floor, which was cut off from the rest of the staff of the building outside of Tony, friends and family. Tony had opened up the floors below to the public to offer medical aid to the citizens who had been caught in the middle of the fighting. It was the least they could do since the nearest hospitals was already burdened.

After the battle, the group had retreated to Stark Tower to heal and to plan. A few key members of SHIELD were also there to discuss the next course of action they were going to take to deal with the LIFE Foundation. They had crossed a line by aiding the escape of the Abomination and letting him loose in trying to kidnap one of their own. The damage and casualties they had brought down on Midtown was not going to go unavenged. They had blood on their hands and SHIELD was eager to launch a counter attack. Unfortunately, the people they needed to speak with had their own problems to deal with.

In the span of several hours, the people who had the most experience of dealing with the inner workings of the LIFE Foundation had lost two of its key members, Sidonie Brandt and her bodyguard, Yann. The surviving family were to grief stricken to offer much help so it had fallen on Tony's shoulders to be their voice in their time of need. He had worked closely with Sido, Jenn and her group over the months since the Chitauri attack and so he was the next best thing available to SHIELD at the moment in dealing with LIFE.

Until Jenn and Ana were able to join in the planning, Tony would do all he could to make sure SHIELD had enough to start with.

-o-

The moment Bruce struggled sluggishly from the darkness that had consumed him, his first thought was to find Ana. His right hand was already reaching, searching for that solid warmth that had been his constant companion. The moment his searching hand had found the slope of her shoulder, the relief he felt was like a rush of cleansing water through his system. He pulled her close against him and buried his face within the familiar curls of her hair. The calm that always came from their near to one another was like a balm to his frazzled nerves.

When he opened his eyes to look at her, he found that she was fast sleep but looked exhausted. Her face was flushed and her nose beet red from what looked like recent sobbing. His worry had grown at the sight of her but considering the recent loss they had suffered, it was only to be expected. He held his wife close and rested his head back against the pillow, his hand gently running over her curls. He stared at the ceiling before his gaze traveled about the rest of the room. It was comfortable in appearance but still had a sterile quality about it. The décor consisted of the bed in which they were lying in, a couple of beige arm chairs that were settled beside the bed, a nightstand to his right and a closet. The windows showed a view of Midtown, a section that had not been destroyed by the battles. All the colors of the furniture and curtains were done in off white, creams, and browns.

Bruce recognized the room to belong to one of the medical wards of Stark Tower and the realization brought a sense a much-needed peace. Knowing that he was safe at home with his wife beside him made the rest of the tension ease from his body. He took in breath as he turned his head and pressed a firm kiss against Ana's curls, a large hand reaching down to stroke her growing belly. His family was safe, that was all he could have hoped for...

He enjoyed the peaceful sound of his wife softly breathing beside him and closed his eyes, drifting off back to sleep.

-o-

" _Jenn, we have found her._ "

Jennifer DuPont did not acknowledge the computerized voice that spoke to her. She simply stared out one of the grand windows of her bedroom, taking in the sight of Midtown. She stood as still as a statue, the sound of her shattered breathing the only sign of movement. Her blue and silver suit was gleaming beneath the light of the setting sun, the rising smoke and darkness of the destroyed streets where her sister had gone to shop a terrible reminder.

Her face could not portray her emotions but her blue eyes were overflowing with tears, spilling down her flushed cheeks and landing on the smooth glass of the arc reactor in the center of her chest. It had only been hours since her sister had left, she had given her last hug and kiss with a fond farewell. They were supposed to have dinner this evening, just the three of them as a family. A moment to reflect on the changes of the past year and the brightness of the future that was ahead of them. Now, that was nothing more than a fond dream.

Her older sister was dead.

She had felt the sudden pain of disconnect from the familial link. It was a very special telepathic bond that Cin had tied among them from so many years before, when she had started seeing them and trusting them as her family, as her pack. They were always able to sense one another, no matter the distance. It had been some wonderful and comforting phenomena to Jenn, since she had not been able to move on her own before now. She would always know how her sister and niece were feeling and what they were doing. The missing link among the pack was noticeable and very painful...

" _Damn you Sido,_ " her voice emerged from the tiny speaker at her throat, a soft computerized feminine sound that did not give the emotion she was craving to bring aloud. " _You and your maternal instincts... Why did you not run? Why...?_ " The silent tears continued to fall down her cheeks as she wept for the loss of the only sister she would ever have.

Jarvis did not bother her again after announcing that they had found her sister. The computer switched off the connection to Sido's room and left her to her sorrow.

-o-

On the top floor of Stark Tower, grouped within the private loft of one Tony Stark, the remaining Avengers as well as a few members of SHIELD were in deep discussion.

Snuggled against the broad frame of Thor, Jane Foster listened as Stark was devising a plan to deal with the LIFE Foundation. They had been lying low up until now and the blatant way that had gone about trying to capture Ana not only had done damage once again to Midtown and its citizens but had taken the life of one of their own.

Jane did not know the man known as Tony Stark but even she could see the fierceness in his hazel eyes as he paced back and forth. This sudden attack was considered a personal one as far as he was concerned. Just based on how passionate his words were as he argued with Nick Fury, trying to get him to see that what that group had done was tantamount to a terrorist attack. Not only had they broken an unstable monster free from its prison but they had put countless lives at risk, not counting the ones already taken.

Jane understood that Stark saw the woman who was merged with Erai's sister, this Ana, was like a sister to him. She didn't know the details of what had transpired among this group of people in the past from that alien attack but even she could see that they were close-knit group because of it. Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye were showing their support to Stark. Even Thor, who had always shown a concern for the people of Earth, seemed more emotionally involved in the conflict that had transpired. To the point that he was also in agreement with Stark in regard to planning a retaliation against these LIFE people.

The only person who was against taking any sort of immediate action was Nick Fury and his reasoning wasn't all that convincing, even to himself. The other SHIELD members with him, Agent Coulson and Agent Hill, did not voice their opinions on the matter. She wasn't sure what they were thinking but she could see tenseness on Agent Coulson's face where the few times before she had seen him as impassive. He must have had some thought to what they should do and if Jane had a guess she was sure it would be leaning in support of Stark as well...

The sound of a huge thud on the coffee table in front of her made Jane jump slightly in surprise. Thor had carefully moved away from Jane's embrace to lean forward in the black leather couch they were now occupying. He had set his hammer down on the table, gaining everyone's attention as he did so.

Seeing that all eyes were on him, Thor allowed the frown on his face to deepen. He focused his gaze on Fury as he clenched his fists, taking in a deep breath. "Regardless of what you may decide, know that this was a direct attack on the House of Odin. My father will _not_ take such an attack against two members of his household lightly. It will be considered an act of war."

At these words, Fury's one eye had widened and, true to his namesake, focused his indignant gaze on the Asgardian. "Are you threatening my planet with war?"

"Not your realm," said Thor in reply, his gaze holding Fury's own. "Against these groups of cowards, these _people_ who call themselves LIFE Foundation." He lifted his right hand and pointed a single finger at Fury, his cheeks turning flushed with suppressed rage. "If your justice system will not bring these cowards down for the harm they had caused not only to the people I consider as my friends and allies but to your very own citizens, my father will see to it that it is done. Heed my word Fury: Deal with these cowards now or Asgard will intervene in your stead."


	52. The Day was Beautiful

_Now peace is so hard to find_

_We're terrorized and victimized_

_But that's when I close my eyes_  

_And think of you to ease my mind_

_You take me to another place_

_There's no more war_

_Just love and grace_

_Baby you restore my faith_

_I know the struggle's not in vain_

_When it's cold outside_

_There's no need to worry_  

_Cause_  

_I'm so warm inside_

_You give me peace_

_When the storm's outside_

_Cause we're in love_

_I know_

_It'll be alright_

_Alright_

_It's alright..._

**Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)** ** _–_ ** John Legend

-o-

Chapter 52: The Day was Beautiful

The day was beautiful and sweet, the sun shining beyond a few pale wisps of clouds that were pushed along by the cold breeze. The surrounding trees, mostly bare of their leaves, had a few stubborn leaves that danced upon the gentle prodding of the same breeze. Down below in an open sloping field, on the leaf covered grounds of a grand estate, a small group of people were standing around two stone slabs in the ground. It was close to three other stone slabs, two of them bearing the name of the Dupont clan and one of Brandt.

The day, as beautiful as it was, seemed to be mocking those gathered around the grave markers, their heads bowed in solemnity. For despite how sweet the day, it was a day of pure sorrow. Those who were gathered were closest to the ones who had passed. A true family.

Sidonie Brandt nee Dupont was buried near her parents on the grounds of their estate in France. She was beside the first love of her life: her husband who had died of an illness many years before. Yannick, (known as Yann), who had been Sido's bodyguard in the public eye and her lover behind closed doors, was given the honor of being buried on the right side the woman he loved, to guard her in death as he had in life.

The small group of people were paying their final respects, a last hurrah before a new chapter was to begin. The couple who stood at the head of this small group had their hands intertwined, the woman's round belly showing that she was very heavy with the life she carried inside her. The lives that had been lost had not died in vain and they would not be forgotten.

Bruce would make sure that Ana would be all right…

-o-

Ana was sitting on a stone bench that was nestled among some bushes, her gaze focused on the fountain that spouted in the middle of the lily pond some distance away. The last time she had been here, it had been a joyous time. One in which her aunt had moved on her own for the first time in a long time, where her love for Bruce had been brought to seed within her womb, where her mother had been alive…

She absently rubbed her belly, feeling the rolling movement of one of the twins reacting to her touch. She allowed a soft smile to tilt her lips upwards and she glanced downwards, her deep brown eyes filled with a wistful sadness. "Hello _mon petit,_ " she said in response to the movement. "Which one of you was it that moved? It's hard to tell..."

It had been a month since the funeral.

How the time had passed, Ana did not know. She only knew that each day had bled into the next. An endless stream of hours that didn't register with her grief-stricken mind. She wasn't the only one to have fallen into such a state. Her Aunt Jenn had locked herself away in her room the day after the funeral and refused to move an inch. She didn't eat or drink anything, she refused whatever aid that was offered to her. Thankfully, she was still connected to Jarvis. Tony had issued commands to the AI to take full care of the quadriplegic woman. The end result was that Jarvis had taken full control of her suit, ensuring that she got the vital nutrients and movement her body required to keep from failing.

Jenn had not said anything or done anything in response. She didn't refuse the AI's help but she certainly was not being an active participant in her own wellbeing. It seemed the only one she wanted close to her was Jarvis. And Ana of course…

She was completely catatonic save for the time Ana was with her. This past month meant that Ana had been spending day in and day out with her aunt, making sure that she was at least responsive to another human on a regular basis. If Ana had not been so concerned about her own unborn children, she was sure she would have fallen into the same deep, dark abyss of grief that her aunt was currently in and her own health giving way…

However, she didn't and she couldn't.

For her own grief, Bruce had been her anchor. He was there with her through every moment of the day and night. Holding her when she cried, being calm and patient when her own irrational anger flared thanks to the grief mixed with the pregnancy hormones, loving her when she was about to drown in her own tears and craving something tangible to keep her afloat…

Her husband had taken his vows to heart and he was doing all he could to ensure his wife did not lose her own sanity in the process of trying to be an anchor for her aunt.

This past month had been trying emotionally and physically for the family. Thankfully, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had been there to handle everything else. They had taken care of overseeing the pharmaceutical company the sisters owned but it was Pepper who had overseen the details of the funeral and the reading of the will. Of course, Ana had inherited Sido's portion of the business but recent changes had been made to the will about a month and a half before Sido's death.

She had officially claimed Bruce as one of her beneficiaries with a few stipulations that had come into effect thanks to a life changing decision he had made. Even if they were to have never married, even if life had been crueler than it had been and they had never made it as a couple, Sido had been thankful to the man for bringing her daughter the type of love that Ana never would have truly known with anyone else.

He would have been financially well off and would have had no need to ever be around any other human while struggling to keep his calm day to day. He would have been able to live in relative peace away from everyone and everything just because he would have had everything he needed to see him through. However, because he had married Ana, he now had gained even more of the inheritance of the Dupont-Brandt family fortune. He now owned thirty percent of the portion of the inheritance Ana had gained and was in possession of some incredible stock, bonds, and other investments within the company. With the company merging with Stark Industries not too long ago, that inheritance was a considerable amount. Not Tony Stark rich, but he was very well off.

This had no bearing on anything though.

Bruce's only concern was for the woman he loved more than his own life and for his children that she carried within her. He didn't care about wealth. He only cared that his family would be taken care of. The matriarch of the family had seen to it that his family would never want for anything, for which one could say he was very grateful for…

"You are… crying…"

The deep voice that spoke reached through the cloud of grief that hung over Ana's senses. She had paused in her ministrations of rubbing her pregnant belly, being twenty-two weeks pregnant with twins a fact she was still getting used to. She raised her eyes and focused her gaze on the tall, russet-skinned man with the long, frazzled dark hair. He stood a yard away from her, his deep blue eyes studying her with a look that was a mix between longing and caution. He was dressed in beige slacks and a red polo shirt, his large hands were clenched at his sides as if he were trying to keep himself from reaching out.

Ana gave a small but very warm smile to the man who was Cin's- _Erin's_ \- twin brother. By extension, he was her half-brother, since they shared half the same DNA. The past month had given Ana and Erai some time to get to know each other, though it was rare they had a moment alone. However, it helped that Cin was remembering her time from a life gone by and the love that overflowed from the depths of her heart for her twin rivaled that of her love for Hulk. Ana couldn't help but be affected by such love between the twins and her own love for Erai had been quick to grow. She sometimes wondered if her own twins would have such a connection. From her understanding of Lyttans and Pyragians, there was always a strong mental link among the pack, the family. When it involved twins though, the mental link between them was the strongest of all.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she let out a shuddering sigh. "I do not mean to but I can't help myself it seems. The hormones..." she said, trying to explain but not being able to find the words. She fell silent when she caught the understanding look in Erai's eyes. Of course, he would know; he would understand better than anyone. He had a mental connection to her and could feel what she felt. It still took some getting used to.

Calming her troubled emotions, she moved along the bench and reached out to pat the empty space beside her. Something inside of her had shifted at that moment, whether it was from the longing she had seen in his blue eyes or the pulse of heat from the base of her neck which spread throughout her body, the deep feeling of mutual longing overcoming her, she gave in to the feeling. A month had passed and they had not had true time alone together, to truly get to know one another. "Come on then, sit down, _mon frère_."

He didn't move at first, his blue gaze studying her a moment longer before he finally took the first step. He took another and another until his hesitant steps finally bought him to the bench. He was slow in his movements, as if he were afraid he would startle her, as he turned around and sat down on the bench beside the woman who was (and wasn't) his sister. The silence between them was uncomfortable at best and the Lyttan man wasn't sure how to proceed. This was his sister and yet…

Ana decided enough was enough. She reached out and took his large hand in her own. The moment their hands clasped, red veins flowed down the length of their arms, wrists and fingers. Their bodies had recognized each other as they did so many years ago and all at once, the uncomfortable silence melted away to familiar comfort.

-o-

During the month that had passed, SHIELD had been working closely with Stark Industries in the hopes of locating those that called themselves the LIFE Foundation. Despite their best efforts, the group was very good at hiding themselves. Like Ana's group, they had a way of staying completely off SHIELD's radar and it was something that those closest to the family were not happy with. Thor had to once again leave Earth to return to Asgard, summoned by his father to deal with recent skirmishes that had been building up in the other realms. He was going to bring the news of the attack upon Ana and her family, the attack against a member of the House of Odin, to the All Father.

A month was too long for the Asgardian to wait for SHIELD to deal with this problem, he was going to ensure that this matter was dealt with and quickly. Normally, the All Father would not bother in the affairs of Midgardians. In fact, he was quite against associating with that particular realm at all if it could be helped. However, he had accepted Ana and her mate as members of his House, which meant she was under his strict protection. The fact that she had been attacked would not go over well with the King of Asgard. It would mean that Odin would not hesitate in granting whatever his son wished to ensure that those who attacked the ones under his protection would be captured and brought to judgement.

With the Abomination back in custody, the LIFE Foundation had fallen silent once again, slipping back into the bowels of whatever hole they had crawled out of. It was a needed reprieve but those that were keeping watch over the family kept a close eye out for anything out of place. They were not going to be caught off guard again…

-o-

Being twenty-two weeks pregnant meant another ultrasound to determine the growth and health of the babies. It also meant another thing: Finding out if the twins would be boys or girls.

It was a bright spot that Bruce and Tony had been looking forward to. The good doctor could admit that he was nervous. Finding out that his wife was carrying twins was one thing but finding out if he would have to worry about sports or scaring off boys was another thing altogether. Not to mention that they were not fully human… He was worried there was no doubt of that. Yet it was such a beautiful reprieve from the aching grief that had been constant with his wife the past month. Ana was excited about the ultrasound but so achingly happy it was infectious. Tony was a nervous wreck though he tried to play it off in his usual cool manner: Not caring either way.

For once in a rare moment, Jenn was active and aware. She was moving on her own and waiting with the rest of the family to find out what to expect in either potential nieces or nephews. Pepper was there, a close and much needed member of the pack with all that had happened. Erai was there, the uncle from Cin's side of the family, and Jane was there as both support to the Lyttan and standing in place for Thor, who could not make it for obvious reasons. Happy was there as well, mostly out of respect.

The woman who had done the ultrasound the first time around was there to check on the progress of her patients. She had been excited to be flown out to the beautiful country of France: An all-expenses paid trip for her and a significant other. She had taken her only child with her, a young son who was seven. It was an adventure for the young boy to go out of country and spend time with his mom. In return for such an opportunity, Teresa was keen to make sure her patient and her family would be happy with the care she gave.

It was in the Dupont home, in Ana's bedroom, that the ultrasound was taking place. Teresa knew what to expect this time around and she was just as excited as the rest of the family to find out what the twins would be. She was proficient in her movements as she rolled the ultrasound wand over Ana's growing belly, her eyes studying the monitor as the image began to form. A few keystrokes and a few more rolls of the wand took place before the image solidified.

The twins could be seen embracing one another but they were side by side this time, their little areas bare for all to see. It was a perfect view from an ultrasound perspective and Teresa was nearly elated to tell the news to the mom and dad to be.

"You should be so proud!" she said, her smile growing with each passing moment. "Boys to pass on the family name..." She paused as she rolled the wand over once more, studying the image closely. "Girls to nurture the family name..." She looked at Bruce Banner and his wife, her smile was honest and genuine. "You will have the best of both worlds. A boy and a girl. A beautiful set to make a family like yours complete."

Bruce could feel the relief and the fear at the same time. He would have the best of both worlds…

Ana laughed with relief, her heart filling over with love. "A boy and girl… Just like their mother and uncle!" She looked over to Erai, her smile filled with joy. The Lyttan could only return the smile, his own heart filling over with love. Of course, the twins would be like the original twins, it ran in the family.

Ana was giggling as she settled her brown gaze to her husband. "A boy and girl, _mon amant_ , can you believe it?" She took his hand and pulled him down for a kiss. He was more than happy to return the kiss though his thoughts couldn't help but focus on the fact that he would have to worry about both potential sports and scaring off boys…

"So… Names? I suggest Tony and Pepper Jr.," said Tony, his smile both smug and sweet.

Neither Bruce nor Ana said a thing to Tony's suggestion in names for their twins. They were still caught up in the fact that they were having both a boy and girl…


	53. The Days Turned to Weeks

_I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons_

_Finally content with a past I regret_

_I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness_

_For once I'm at peace with myself_

_I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long_

_I'm movin' on_

_At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me_

_And I know there's no guarantees but I'm not alone..._

**I'm Movin' On** – Rascal Flatts

-o-

Chapter 53: The Days Turned to Weeks

The days turned into weeks...

The weeks turned into months…

The winter had passed them by and spring was well on its way. February had slowly moved into March and March slowly warmed into April. By the time May had arrived, Ana was a month away from her due date and bigger than she had ever been. The twins had run out of room quite a while ago but they were thriving on the love between their parents and amongst their family; their pack.

Ana had grown close with Cin's brother over the time since that day by the lily pond and Erai was the needed balm for the missing part that had been Sido's in the pack. With the pack losing and gaining a new member, Ana had found herself taking the place of head, which had been her mother's place originally. Her Aunt Jenn was still mourning the loss of her sister (though she had been getting better thanks to Jarvis' help) and was in no way, shape or form able to take the mantle her sister had left behind. She had been the beta and now it looked as if that place would fall to Bruce. Ana had been given that mantle of alpha and with her own children due to come in a month's time, she found that she had to better prepare herself. This was where Erai had come into play.

Over the weeks, he had learned the English language fluently and even began to pick up French. He had explained to those within SHIELD and within the Dupont group his origins. The history of his people, their role within the Nine Realms -the universe- and how they had come to disappear. He had explained how his realm, his planet, had been trapped in another dimensional plane with the Chitauri, though he did not explain how that had come to pass. He had explained how his twin sister had been the one to discover a rogue portal in their realm that lead back to the Nine Realms. She had been the one tasked with finding a way to contact Asgard, Thor's realm, for help. Along the way, she had lost her memory of her mission. Hence why Ana was the way she was…

All in all, Erai was there solely to find his sister, who had been missing for some thirty odd cycles. In Earth years it could calculate between twenty and fifty years, depending on a few variables. Now that Erai had found his sister and her new pack, his next goal was to find a way to bring Pyragia back into the fold of the Nine Realms. They had been locked away in that other dimension for so long that their population was declining. Erai and Erin had been one of the last of their generation to be born within the last two hundred cycles.

When Erai had been asked how old he was, he couldn't give a definitive answer but it was a given. He was much, much older than he looked. Not quite as old as Thor but Pyragians had a long lifespan. It was a wonder, since Erin had merged permanently with Ana, would Ana live longer than a human because of it?

It was mystery that Tony Stark was very interested in getting to the bottom of but not while Ana was so heavily pregnant. So, while SHIELD, the Dupont group and Stark Industries continued to work together to locate the elusive LIFE Foundation (which had seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth), the family finally felt as if they could all relax and were getting ready for the arrival of the twins that were due in June.

-o-

It was a wonder why Bruce wasn't permanently attached to Ana.

As the due date approached, he was constantly hovering her, checking to see if she was all right. Did she have enough water? Was she hot? Cold? Were the babies ok? Did she need a massage? Did-

" _Mon dieu_ Bruce! _Assez!_ "

Bruce paused in the middle of going to grab her another bottled water and turned around to look at his wife. He studied her in the noonday sunlight streaming in through the windows of their bedroom in the Dupont estate. She was sitting in a blue armchair, her copper brown curls falling loose and frizzy about her round face. Her hands were resting comfortably upon her large belly and the frustrated look on her face wasn't enough to deter the sudden protective love welling in his heart. Even looking so frustrated, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Being heavily pregnant with his son and daughter seemed to just make his love for his wife grow to such an extent, he could never find the right words to describe it. He could feel a prod from the Other Guy and the sudden burst of love from the depths of his mind made Bruce smile. Hulk was in full agreement, as usual when it came to their women.

"Bruce, go call Tony. I want Pepper to come here," said Ana, the frustrated look on her face growing when she saw he was smiling for no apparent reason other than that he was happy. He had been doing that a lot lately and it was annoying her. She was carrying two babies in her womb, she was constantly feeling bloated and swollen in her fingers and feet, she could never get comfortable. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to be smiling about. "And since you're offering, would you get me a sandwich?"

Bruce's smile only grew, knowing that she was frustrated and annoyed with him but he could feel the deep love she had for him through their mental link. No matter how angry she would get with him, he would always feel her love and he couldn't help the happiness. He moved over to her, set the bottle water down on the end table beside her, and leaned down to give her a firm kiss on her lips. "Sure, I'll be right back." He kissed her again before he turned to leave the room.

Once he closed the door behind him, Ana let out a huge sigh and slumped in her chair. She loved the man dearly but he hovered too much. She felt two kicks against her hands and she glanced down at her belly. She smiled fondly at her little ones. "I know my Sunshines… We need a break."

-o-

Bruce walked down the large corridors toward the kitchens as he pulled out his custom Stark smartphone, one of only a handful that belonged to the immediate family. Jarvis had direct and secure access to all of them and so they did to one another. Since Tony and Pepper had to head back to the States for business two months prior, they had to have a secure way of remaining in contact with their brothers and sisters.

"Jarvis, would you-"

" _Already ahead of you Dr. Banner_ ," said Jarvis through his phone. " _I could not help overhearing. You will be connected to Mr. Stark momentarily. He is, at the moment, preoccupied. However, I had already notified Ms. Pots of Mrs. Banner's request for her to arrive there. She said she will be on the next jet out._ "

Bruce paused in mid-step, finding Jarvis' communication a little too convenient, but before he could ask the AI what was going on he was already connecting to his best friend. "Tony?"

"Hey there Big Guy," said Tony, his voice sounding a little strained, instantly bringing up the good doctor's suspicions. Tony never sounded strained, even at his worst moments. "Jarvis told me Ana wanted Pepper out there first thing. Is everything all right? Did her water break? If you need me to I'll fly straight out of Malibu and-"

Hearing the strained tone in the uncle-to-be's voice now made more sense, Bruce began to relax and he continued making his way to the kitchens. "No, no, Tony, everything's fine. I've just been driving her crazy with my worry. She wants a break and Pepper would be a welcome distraction." He made his way into the kitchens, giving a nod to the kitchen staff that worked there. They gave him various greetings in French and English, already knowing why he was there. Many of them had smiles on their faces and were already helping him get together the sandwich his wife was craving for.

"How soon will Pepper be here?"

Tony didn't answer right away and Bruce's suspicions were rising slightly. He seemed distracted…

"She'll be there by tomorrow, she's taking one of my private jets." He seemed to hesitate before his voice came through again. "She's going to be bringing an old colleague of mine along with her. It's sort of a last-minute thing but considering my little sister wants Pepper there as soon as possible I hope you don't mind the extra guest."

Bruce frowned at this and he took in a deep breath to calm his rising heartbeat. A stranger, even if they were an old colleague of his best friend, was still a stranger. They would be close to his wife and unborn children and considering how close to the due date they were, he wasn't too comfortable about it. "Who is this colleague of yours?"

Again, Tony sounded distracted, but his voice was suddenly rushing from the other end. "Her name is Maya Hansen. Don't worry, she was a good a friend mine back in the day."

"You mean an old girlfriend," said Bruce, already knowing Tony well enough to read between the lines. He took the sandwich that was already done by the kitchen staff from the counter, smiling at his employees (it was still a strange thought to him) in thanks, before he left the kitchens and headed back to his wife. "Fine… She'll be welcome to stay here but she only stays in the guest section of the house and stays as far away from my wife as possible, understood?"

"Big Guy, you know I would hurt myself before I would ever let anything happen to Ana or Pepper," said Tony, now sounding like his old self. Bruce couldn't help the smile at hearing the offended tone, this was the Tony he knew. "You know if anything were to happen that would be a potential threat to you and Ana, Jarvis and Jenn will be the first to let you know."

"All right," said Bruce after a moment's hesitation. "I trust you and Pepper. This Maya Hansen? Be sure to warn her what she's going to be coming to. I'm very protective of what's mine. Add an alien brother-in-law and an ever-watchful genius hacker hooked to your AI, you know better than anyone that she's going to be in for a world full of hurt if she brings any trouble with her."

Tony didn't respond right away, there was a moment's silence, seeming as if his attention was elsewhere. When he finally responded to Bruce, his tone matched that of his best friend's. "Pepper's filling her in on the warning. You have my word that if she brings any trouble to your doorstep, you do what you have to keep our family safe Bruce."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Iron Man 3 takes place at Christmas time but I changed it to suit the timeline of this story. Thank goodness for AUs.


	54. The Pressure

_We're facing these giants_

_The bigger they are, the harder they fall_

_But I still believe in_

_The dreams we've been dreaming_

_The hope that we built on_

_Is never too far_

_It's never too far_

**Family** – Toby Mac

-o-

Chapter 54: The Pressure

The pressure was becoming too much.

Ana had no other choice.

She had to get up from her comfy chair and head to the bathroom or she would burst. It didn't help that the twins were bearing down on her bladder.

With some effort, she managed to get herself up and very carefully try to waddle her way across her bedroom toward her bathroom. She almost regretted asking Bruce to get her a sandwich, his help would have been greatly appreciated. As she was halfway across the room, she felt a deep _pop_ in her lower area, mainly around her uterus…

The sudden gush of warm liquid soaking her pants and running down her legs caught her by surprise. Did she lose control of her bladder? Her first thought was to not stain the carpet when a pinching feeling caught her off guard and she doubled over with a pained groan as the first of a series of painful contractions began. She had had them before, the fake contractions over the last several weeks as her body prepared itself for the birth to come. This, however, had never been accompanied before losing one's control of their bladder…

It took a moment before the panic and confusion from her son and daughter started to trickle up through their mental link. Ana's own panic began to build as she realized what was happening. "Oh, _mon dieu..._ "

The babies were coming and they were three weeks early.

She had been preparing for this with Bruce and her family for months. Now that the time had come, she couldn't think of a single thing that could help her in this situation. She was alone and being alone when her water broke had always been her greatest fear. With a whimper, another contraction hit her, and without meaning to her panic, worry and above all fear, was broadcasted throughout the mental link she shared with her family.

-o-

Bruce had been making his way back to his wife, sandwich in hand, when the panic and fear hit him with full force. He paused in midstep, his mind wrapping around the sudden strange emotions bombarding him when his quick wit caught up with what was happening. Dropping the sandwich without a second thought, he was running down the corridor as quick as his legs could carry him, nearly tripping over his own feet as his own panic began to rise.

His wife was in labor.

The babies were coming.

_His son and daughter were coming into the world!_

The very last thought was what spurred him on and an excited smile, the first that had ever been on Dr. Bruce Banner's face in a long time, emerged on his lips.

_He was going to be a dad!_

-o-

Erai had not felt such excitement through the mental link he shared with his sister since he had first arrived to this realm. Ever since he had been welcomed into the family, his link with his twin reestablished, he had been washed over with the subconscious thoughts and love between Erin and her mate and her pack for months. It had been so long since had felt such happiness coming from his twin that he couldn't help but linger around her. He was never too far from her if he could help it, at least whenever her mate would go off to grab her something to eat. He would stay a few rooms over during those times, reading various books or perusing the internet, should she need him for anything.

It was one of those times that he was glad he was near.

The moment her panic and fear had reached him, he was up on his feet and tearing through the doorway of the study he had been in.

-o-

There was very little that could get Jenn excited these days.

Losing her older sister had done a number on her.

Don't get her wrong, she loved her niece with all of her heart. Ana, Bruce, and their babies- hell, even the others in this new pack- were the only family she had now. Yet, she still felt isolated from everyone and everything. She always had.

Being a quadriplegic in a metal body that did the moving for her had lost its appeal after Sido's death. The depression that had been a constant in her everyday life was somewhat dulled by the ever-present entity known as JARVIS. Where her family had to take care of their own businesses and needs when they were not visiting her, Tony Stark's AI was able to be in multiple places at once, keeping her company being one of those places. She had to admit, over the months that had followed since she lost her sister, Jarvis – as she had grown to know him as – had become a good friend. Where there were moments when the depression could get so bad that she could barely get up on her own, Jarvis was there to make sure she was able to get up and exercise and take care of herself as she needed to.

Today was one of the good days.

She was up on her own and moving around her bedroom, looking at one of the various servers that dotted the walls. She was still connected to them but on a remote level. Since she had been able to move on her own, she liked to keep up with the maintenance the machines herself, especially on her bad days. It was while she was doing this that all of the commotion hit her from first her niece and then Bruce and Erai.

She froze for a moment before the first real look of happiness appeared in her clear blue eyes. " _Les bebes..._ " She moved away from the server she had been working on, her eyes flicking over to the door before her body began to move. " _Jarvis! Ana's in labor! Tell Tony the babies are coming_!"

-o-

Maya Hansen was introduced to the family in a way no person would have ever imagined.

On the flight over, the red head had explained to the brunette about the uniqueness of the family she was about to meet. It was during this explanation that her phone had rung. Answering the line, she was notified by a slightly flustered Tony that Ana's water had broken and she was in labor. They were still several hours away from their destination but the anxiousness could be heard in Tony's voice, who was currently cursing himself for not leaving with Pepper so he could be there.

Maya had never known Tony Stark to be the sentimental type. He must really care about this family.

Once they had arrived into the country and made it past customs, Pepper was leading the way out of the airport as she spoke on the phone, Maya struggling to keep up with the redhead's quick steps. There was a car already waiting for them at the exit and they hopped into the backseat. Pepper greeted the driver, a young woman of Asian descent named Cammie, before they were whisked away to what Maya could only assume was one of the grandest old estates she had ever had the privilege to see.

She followed in after Pepper Potts, who led the way into a grand home that was currently swarming with activity. Here and there, members of the house staff could be seen running from one corridor to another, occasionally a staff member that looked like a part of a medical team could be seen as well. As Pepper led the way into the home, they were greeted by one of the tallest men that Maya had ever seen. He was a lean man, with russet skin and piercing blue eyes, his long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. It was then that she noted the distinct dark red lines against the visible area of his neck. They seemed to pulse back and forth along with his heart beat. He had greeted Pepper with a bright smile, his piercing eyes flicking over to Maya in faint interest.

Maya could have sworn there was a flash of yellow that appeared in his eyes before his smile faded. He focused his gaze on Pepper and there was a moment of silence as they stared at one another. Maya had the distinct feeling that she was being left out of the loop of whatever was going on. It was only a moment later that the tall man moved to stand beside Maya and reached out to wrap a terribly strong hand around her bicep. Pepper turned around to gaze at the brunette and a slight muscle ticked in her jawline. "This is Erai, he's Ana's brother. I would advise not to do anything rash while you are here and close to our family. Otherwise, you may regret it." She frowned at the brunette, glanced at the tall man, before she gave a nod and turned around to walk deeper into the home.

Maya was slightly confused until she winced, feeling the hand holding her squeeze a little more. She froze when Erai leaned down close to her ear, a deep growl escaping him. "I sense what is on you… Do not think you are going to cause any trouble while you are under this roof."

Maya could not think to reply in any way other than a quick nod.

Although a part of her was beginning to panic.

When this entire ordeal started, it had been her job to lead Pepper to Killian Aldrich. Now, it seemed she was the one who was going to be held captive since she was now in the home of what now seemed to be a dangerous group of people. Her thoughts went down toward the tracker that had been imbedded in her phone that was now giving off her current location. She wondered how long it would be before Killian would make his way to this very location. And she wondered just how big of a mistake she had made by agreeing to this plan in the first place.


	55. There was Worry

_In this world so full of fear_

_Full of rage and lies_

_I can see the truth so clear_

_In your eyes_

_So dry your eyes_

_And I'm so grateful to you_

_I'd have lived my whole life through..._

_Lost forever..._

_If I never knew you..._

**If I Never knew You** \- _Pocahontas_ \- Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz

-o-

Chapter 55: There was Worry

There was worry, a deep and unyielding worry that gripped her heart. She could admit it. She was worried for her babies. She was worried for herself. This was her very first pregnancy and, with not being completely human, this was a first for nearly everyone involved. Nearly being the key word.

Erai had been the first to reach her since he had been the closest. He had been gentle as he rushed to her side and helped her to her bed, telling her all the awhile that it was going to be ok. Twins ran strongly in their family and the bonus of this: Erai had access to intact memories of how pregnancy and birthing worked for their people. It was something that Cin could not recall very easily. Her memories of her past life were still fuzzy at best even if she was recalling a little more and more as time went by.

She was grateful for the calming thoughts and words that Erai was projecting to her. She was even more happy when Bruce came barging into the bedroom, his soft brown eyes searching about the room before they finally fell on her. He was quick to get to her side, Erai moving out of the way so the good doctor could take his rightful place beside his wife. He reached out brush the copper curls from her brow as she struggled to breathe through a strong contraction. "Are you ok, Ana? How are the babies?"

She smiled at Bruce as she carefully moved herself to get a little more comfortable. " _Oui_ ," said Ana, her smile becoming a little strained as she placed a hand carefully over bulging stomach. "As well as can be expected considering that they are coming a little early."

"We spoke about this," said Bruce as he settled down on the bed beside her and reached out to adjust the pillows behind her so that she could sit up. "It's statistically common for twins to be born early. Just try to be as calm as you can." Even as he said this, there was a part of him that was easily panicking. These were his children coming into the world. What if something happened to them? To his wife? What if-

"Both of you, relax," Erai's deep voice broke through the tension, a light smile playing on his face. "I can sense the panic and the worry but you need not be concerned. The babies will be fine, Ana and Erin will be fine. They are strong."

Bruce and Ana glanced at one another, the parents-to-be taking a moment to allow the panic and the worry to slowly ease away to the nervousness that was common to all people who were going through their first birth. There was a calm that Erai was bringing into the familial link that was shared among the family- a calm that was reminiscent to what Sido would often bring when she had been the head of the pack. Sido was greatly missed but Erai had arrived at a time where his presence helped to slowly heal the wound that had been ripped open with her death. Over the months that had followed, while the family had been trying to figure out the new dynamic that had been brought about by Sido's death, Erai had been integrating himself into this new pack. He had slowly been gaining his sister back and with that he had gained a whole new family he had not been expecting. They had welcomed him in as one of their own, his willingness to put life and limb on the line in the fight against the Abomination had earned him their trust. Since that fight, he had been learning all he could about this strange world his sister and her pack called home. He was also doing his own research into the wild portals that would sometimes rip open across all the Nine Realms. In this aspect, he was quite interested in the research and work of his closest friend Jane Foster and her colleague Dr. Erik Selvig.

Due to this close friendship, he was able to begin his own notes and research on the subject in the hope that he would be able to find a way to open up a portal that would lead Pyragia back into the fold of the Nine Realms. There was no stable way for anyone to escape that dark realm. When the ancestors had first used that stone of power to send the Chitauri and themselves to that new reality, that had been the intent. However, Erai had learned that all realms, all possible universes, were interwoven in some way or form. There was always an avenue of escaping from one realm to another regardless of how small or big the opening might be. It was proven since Erin had managed to escape that dark realm and then, 30 cycles later (give or take a few), the Chitauri had found a means of escape by some unknown ally of theirs. Erai had been adamant of finding a stable way to bring his people out of that dark realm since the one tool he could use unfortunately was not within his reach. It had been a slow-going process over the months that had followed but he knew it would be worth it in the end...

At the sound of the bedroom door opening, all eyes turned to find the rare sight of one Jennifer Dupont making her way into the room. Her metal suit was moving with the fluid and grace of a natural dancer as she rushed to the side of the bed that was unoccupied by her niece's husband. Her light blue eyes were alight with a joy that was rarely seen these days and, though she could not smile, her suit followed her brain's command to bounce on the balls of her feet. " _Are you all right? How are the babies?_ "

Ana could only laugh at her aunt's excitement; the energy was infectious enough to make her feel even more relaxed. Almost all of her family was here by her side. She did not need to worry. They would help to ensure that everything would go smoothly as possible with this birth. "I am all right _Tante_ ," said Ana as she took in a relaxing breath and eased it out slowly passed her lips. "I am all right..."

-o-

The hours had passed since the initial panic attack that had happened. The medical staff, that had been working to ensure that they had all that they needed to be ready for Ana's delivery, had barely been able take a break. Many were rushing to and from various places in the house to get necessary equipment and supplies ready for a regular birth or an emergency c-section. The more time that went by, the more it was clear that the babies would be making an appearance by that evening. It was only midafternoon at this point and the good doctor had been a nervous wreck with everything that was going on. It had been decided that, though he had his licensing as a medical doctor, he would not be the one to the deliver the babies. He was so afraid that he would make some kind of mistake that the best thing for all parties involved was just to have Bruce there for emotional support.

More time had passed.

Ana had finally gone into the stronger contractions and her dilation was close that soon she would be able to start pushing. She had been offered to get an epidural to ease the pain of the contractions but a harsh growl and a flash of yellow eyes was a clear indication that nothing was going into her system that might affect her babies in any way. Ana was not a typical human woman and the further along in the birthing process she went, the more that Cin was emerging to become the dominant personality. She wasn't fully changing but it was quite clear that Cin was aiming to be the one taking charge in the birth of their twins.

Bruce was having some issues in keeping the Other Guy under wraps. He could sense that his mate was in pain and knew it was because of the babies but he didn't understand why it was that their children could cause so much pain to their mother. Bruce was helping Ana through her breathing exercises, mostly for both of their benefits as to keep their other selves as quiet and calm as possible through this ordeal. There had been discussion as to whether they would move Ana from the room and into one of the vast home's medical facilities in the lower levels but Ana once again refused. Cin seemed to be driving on instinct and she was not going to go anywhere or take anything if it meant any potential harm to her babies. Bruce could only agree with his wife, if only to help keep her- and himself- as calm as possible.

It was during this time that Jenn had gotten word from Jarvis that Pepper had just arrived with a guest in tow. Bruce had been aware of the guest that would be staying with them for the brief time Pepper was going to be there and had given strict instructions that this guest was to stay as far away from their wing of the house during that time. He did not trust anyone outside of his immediate friends and family and with his wife now in labor the Other Guy was brimming beneath the surface, just waiting for something to happen...

Erai had been the one to greet the new woman while Pepper had gone ahead to meet with Jenn in the upper floor, who was waiting for her to lead her to Ana's room. Their medical staff and various security staff were running to and fro, making sure that things would go as smoothly as possible for the coming birth. Erai had taken the woman by the arm and led her in the opposite direction of where everyone else seemed to be congregating, taking her to a well-furnished den on the ground level that looked as if it were rarely used. It was clean and well-furnished but it had the look of one of those rooms where it was meant for show.

He had told the woman to make herself comfortable while going off to take a seat in one of the plush arm chairs that faced a bookshelf that dominated the entire width of the wall opposite of the door they had entered. He was sitting on the very edge of the chair and kept his large hands braced atop his jean-clad thighs. His piercing blue eyes were watching every move she made as she slowly walked further into the room and set her purse down upon the armchair opposite of him.

Maya Hansen could admit that this man was dangerously attractive. There was this inhuman, feral quality that seemed to roll off of him in waves. When she had noted the red veins against the sides of his neck that ebbed and flowed with each beat of his heart, she wondered if he was even truly human. She recalled from his comment before that he could sense what she carried within her purse and it had her wondering if he could truly sense the Extremist Virus that in that small vial. She immediately decided not to dwell on it. It was a dangerous situation she had found herself in and now she was worried just how much trouble she had brought to this small family. She was not a fool. She was well aware that at any moment the situation could escalate to something completely out of her control. She wondered just how badly things were going to go once Killian decided to put one of his many plans into action. Pepper Potts had been the key to getting Tony Stark on board with developing a stable cure for the virus. Now that plan had essentially been thrown out the window...

What would his next course of action be? She was afraid to find out...

-o-

Aldrich Killian was not the kind of man who gave up easily when one of his plans did not come to fruition. His initial plan to use Pepper Potts to gain leverage over Tony Stark's genius to find a way to stabilize the Extremis virus had been a long shot. However, using Maya Hansen as a lure to get Pepper to him had not gone exactly as he had hoped. Instead, Pepper had fled the country with Maya in tow, their destination being the country of France. Based off of Maya's last tracking signal, she was located in some resort town. A town that was home to an old and vast family estate that belonged to one of Tony Stark's most recent business partners. The family that owned a well-known international pharmaceuticals company and who had within their residence another well-known genius. A genius who had been, up until recently, in hiding for years.

Dr. Bruce Banner.

Perhaps this turn of events would work much better in his favor. Killian was looking forward to putting together a plan for this.

-o-

After a several hours of contraction after contraction, the doctor who was overseeing Ana's birth - the only doctor who had been allowed to follow Ana's care since she had initially been found by Sido- finally gave the go ahead to begin. One of the babies had begun to crown, which one it could have been was unknown. When the last sonogram had been done a couple of weeks before, it had been the girl who had been on the bottom, her head nestled in the exact position for an optimal birth. Her brother had been above her, his back facing his mother's stomach and his head nestled against his sister’s legs. Since then it looked as if they had switched around so now the staff did not know who it was that was now getting ready to come out first. At this time, Ana was not caring which one was first so long as both of them finally got out.

By this time the medical staff had equipped Ana's room with all of the medical equipment and devices that would be needed to ensure a healthy and clean delivery of twins comparable to that of any well-run hospital. Bruce was dressed in scrubs and a mask as the room was made as sterile as possible. The doctor had wanted to place Ana on a stretcher and stirrups as in a hospital setting but Ana had declined with a harsh snarl, stating that she was going to give birth in her own damn bed and if anyone so much as tried to move her they were going to have a few singed clothing and objects to worry about.

Bruce could only laugh at this entire situation. His wife was about to give birth to his son and daughter. It was one of the most surreal moments of his life. He was quick to turn that laugh into a cough the moment Ana's flashing brown eyes turned his way and he endured the brunt of her anger as she cursed at him in French, no doubt blaming him for her current predicament and probably swearing off any intimate act with him in the foreseeable future.

Bruce could only smile and give his wife a sweet kiss to her temple. God, did he love this woman...

-o-

After hours of pushing, hours of cursing every person in the room, and plenty of screaming rage, the first cry of a baby could be heard. The doctor held up the first born of the twins and called Bruce over to take his firstborn, since its sibling was quickly following after. Bruce had walked quickly, yet in a daze, as he moved over to take his oldest child from the nurse who had wrapped the wriggling, crying newborn in a warm blanket. She handed the baby over with a large smile on her face. "Here is your daughter, Dr. Banner."

He took the baby girl in his arms and his heart gave a painful thump as tears threatened to spill over. The newborn girl was whining, her eyes scrunched closed, as she turned her head, searching for something to latch on to. He reached out finger to gently brush a stray wisp of a dark brown curl away from her forehead. She had a lot of hair, he noted with a smile, and she looked completely and utterly normal. Another baby's cry filled the room, exactly five minutes later, indicating that her brother had just arrived.

Bruce glanced up the dizzying sight of his daughter's cherubic face to see the nurse wrapping up the baby boy in another warm blanket. Both babies were messy and wet and they had yet to be devoid of their umbilical cords, but the moment the nurse placed the newborn boy in his mother's arms, a wave of emotion swept over the good doctor. Ana was staring at her son with the look that every mother in the world could understand: Awe and instant love.

He had moved over beside his wife and placed his daughter beside her brother in his wife's free arm. Ana looked at her daughter and son, the link that had grown between since she had carried them solidifying and reaffirming itself. "Hello, my sunshines," said Ana as she held her newborns closer. She sniffed back a few tears as she looked up at Bruce, her smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "They're perfect, _mon amour."_

Bruce could only nod as he looked at his wife and his children. His family...

Deep within his subconscious, the Other Guy let loose one thought. One thought that Bruce always found was the one thing he could agree with.

_Ours... Always..._


	56. The Instinct

_Don't let them_

_Control you again_

_Just tell them_

_What I said_

_Choose your life_

_You can rise_

_Don't give up_

_You're the one I love…_

** Protect ** **–** _High Sunn_

-o-

Chapter 56: The Instinct

The instinct to protect loved ones was something that many could say was an ingrained part of one's psyche. For most people at least…

However, it had to be a universal agreement that, when it came to parents and their children, the instinct to protect would go into overdrive should a threat present itself.

In this particular case, one Dr. Bruce Banner and his wife Ana were an excellent example as to why it was never a good idea to be a threat to all that they loved and held dear…

-o-

Being a new parent to twins, a boy and girl, was something that Bruce would have never imagined could have even been possible in this life he lived. Having a wife that loved him for all that he was was a concept that had just barely began to sink in and now having that love come into fruition was a wakeup call. He was a father now, a father with two young lives that he needed to care for and protect with all that he was. There were going to be people and organizations that would be a threat to his family.

Here were two little lives that would be seen as potential sources for weapons by these organizations if they showed any possible signs of having similar characteristics like their parents.

Organizations like the LIFE Foundation that had done that very same thing to his wife and had almost succeeded…

The Other Guy was brimming close under the surface as these thoughts circled around Bruce's mind, his gaze focused on the baby boy and girl that were sleeping in a bassinet right beside their mother, who was also catching up in much needed sleep. The babies were a few days old and now, after all the hustle and bustle of the delivery was over, all the goings on of the outside world had finally reached them.

While Bruce had been concentrating on the delivery of his twins, his best friend's Malibu home had been struck by a terrorist attack by the Mandarin. It seemed that when he had spoken with Tony, it had been in the middle of a series of terrible events. Apparently, Happy had been a victim of an explosion, an attack by the Mandarin, and this had caused Tony to retaliate in a less than smart way on live news – giving his direct address – and daring the Mandarin to take him on. All of this had happened before Tony had answered Bruce's call – which would explain why the genius billionaire had sounded so distracted.

Now, Tony Stark was presumed dead, and Jarvis was currently offline – which was causing a fair amount of stress and worry for Jenn, who had been so used to the AI's constant presence. Thankfully, she had not fallen back to her catatonic state and instead had taken to using her own genius and hacking skills to find out exactly what happened to Tony and where he may have possibly disappeared to. Tony was like any member of this current family: Resilient and tough to kill. He would have escaped that blast in some way or another. With the babies born and family members missing, it seemed that Jennifer DuPont had found a renewed thirst to engage in everything around her. Her current mission being to find their missing family member and then to ensure that she find a way to get Jarvis back up and running.

Pepper had been beyond worried when Jarvis' sudden silence and news of the destruction of Tony's Malibu home had reached her. Yet, she had not divulged all of the trouble that Tony had been going through when she had arrived at the home with a stranger in tow. It was something that had rubbed Bruce the wrong way. Neither Pepper nor Tony had told of the attack that Happy had been a victim of nor of the threat Tony had given on live news just an hour before Bruce had spoken with him. Now with Tony missing and a stranger in his home, Bruce was feeling less than cordial to the redheaded woman let alone to his unexpected guest. Tony had said that if this Maya Hansen had brought any trouble with her that Bruce had free reign of doing what needed to be done to ensure their family was safe…

Something was telling him he had better be on the alert…

A soft mewling cry had broken through his train of dark thoughts and Bruce looked over to the bassinet from his seat in Ana's favorite arm chair. It had been moved to a place right next to their bassinet so that way he or Ana could be close when they were not trying to get some sleep for themselves.

A soft smile played on his lips as he got up from the chair and moved over to the bassinet to see who was crying. His smile grew warm as he saw his daughter stirring in her wrapped blanket, the little pink cap keeping her head warm from any chill. Her brother was still fast asleep beside her, a heavy sleeper like his mother. It seemed his daughter was going to take after him regarding being a light sleeper.

Without hesitation, he reached down to scoop up his daughter in his arms and cradled her while he moved to sit back in the chair. His daughter immediately calmed at the feel of her father's arms around her and she let out another soft mew, her unfocused eyes blinking in a sleepy manner. His heart filled with an unfathomable amount of love as he reached out to stroke a finger gently against her soft cheek.

"Hey there, Beccie," he said, his soft brown eyes filled with emotion. "Can't sleep either, huh sweetheart?"

It was a sweet gurgle that responded to his question as a tiny hand reached up to wrap around his index finger. His chuckle was soft and filled with warmth.

Sidonia Rebecca Banner was only a few days old and she already had her father wrapped around her teeny, little finger. Her brother, Bruce Luc Banner – or Luc – was like his twin and already was the apple of his father's eye. Glancing over at his son, who was still fast asleep on his side of the bassinet, that distinct feeling of masculine pride was quick to rise with each and every glance. When his eyes settled on his wife, her riotous copper curls having fallen from the bun she had done and spilling in a haphazard manner all about her pillow, that masculine pride gave way to a love so deep that the he was almost breathless from it. The dark mood that he had been in had fallen away and been replaced by peace. The Other Guy had let loose a feeling of pride and happiness before falling completely silent, a moment of rest for him. His family was safe. He was content enough to rest after the emotional turmoil these last few days had brought. Bruce could only agree with that sentiment but he was much too wide awake to think of sleeping at this time.

Feeling a tiny little mental tug on one of the links within his mind, he automatically glanced down to find Beccie's dark eyes staring up at him, her little fist squeezing his finger. A little thought had bubbled forth, a simple yet distinct thought that Bruce was able to catch with little trouble. He chuckled down at his little girl before he stood up, carefully cradling her in his arms, and left to go warm up a bottle of breast milk.

His daughter was hungry.


	57. Sounds

_You can see that you're being surrounded_

_From every direction_

_And love was just something you found_

_To add to your collection…_

**Fire with Fire** **–** Scissor Sisters

-o-

Chapter 57: Sounds

Sounds of quiet conversation, footsteps, and the general everyday life of the DuPont home in the late hours of the evenings had been such a common occurrence that no one expected the sound or the vibrations of the explosion that happened from outside.

Ana had certainly felt it from her second-floor bedroom and she was instantly on high alert, carefully holding Luc and Beccie in her arms. She had just finished feeding the both of them when it had happened. They had been sleeping peacefully before the explosion had occurred and now they were crying, both from the sudden loud noise and sensing their mother's tension. She was growling and doing her utmost to stay in control but was finding it very difficult when there was something or someone attacking her home.

The door to her room had slammed open at that moment and the relief of seeing her aunt and one of her most trusted guards, Cammie Nguyen, rushing in was short lived. Another explosion rocked the very foundation of the building and this time a very familiar roar had emerged from somewhere downstairs. It was soon followed by the sound of something huge crashing through the very walls of the home.

" _Go, Ana,_ " said Jenn as she moved over to take her great niece and nephew from their mother's arms. The older woman could see that her niece was holding a very short leash on her control and it was only because of her children that Cin had not emerged before now. " _Bruce has already gone green- he needs you. I have the little ones; Cammie and I will keep them safe. Go to your husband!_ "

Ana did not need telling twice and she threw the women a grateful look before she moved out of the bedroom and started to run. Something was attacking her home and had destroyed the peace that she and Bruce had worked so hard for…

The snarl that had escaped her lips was an inhuman sound as the familiar sight of tell-tale points of heat burned through various spots of her clothing. The heat that erupted from her red-veined fists began to glow with suppressed heat as her change began. This time there was no struggle between the two minds as there had often been in the past. This time it was a seamless transition of two beings with a single goal in mind: Protect the family

-o-

Maya Hansen wasn't sure what had been the first sign that things were going horribly wrong.

She figured it may have been the explosion from outside or it could have been the terrifying sound of a roar echoing from somewhere in this large manor before a huge crash followed suit. Several guards that worked for the family had stormed her room at that time and they all had their guns pointed her way. It was obvious that whatever plan Killian had put into the works had backfired spectacularly and now she was going to feel the brunt of the aftermath.

Another explosion erupted, shaking the very foundations of the manor. It was closer this time and Maya immediately knew just from the familiarity of the type of explosion it was that it had to be Killian's men. One of them must have become unstable or something had provoked their body to erupt in such a way.

This was not good, if they came too close to the home…

Her immediate thought was to the newborn babies somewhere in the second floor of this home and the risk of their safety. She mentally cursed Killian, wherever he was right now, as she kept her hands in plain sight. She had been moved from the study she was initially seen to and had been moved to a guest room that was on the other end of the manor. The last several days had been tense for her because she didn't know if she was being treated as a guest or a prisoner. Not to say that she had been treated poorly. They had kept her comfortable and had seen to her needs but there was a distinct coolness from the staff that had been around her. She was quite aware that they did not see her as anything more than a threat to the family they had been tasked with taking care of.

Now with the explosions that had erupted from close to the home and a very real threat facing the safety of their charges, these people were quick to respond to the one apparent threat amongst them. Maya did not fault them one bit and she was quiet and compliant with all of their demands as she handed all of her personal belongings over and tried her best not to shiver from the fear that was threatening to break through.

The man named Erai, who had been the one who kept her mostly under strict watch, had disappeared once the guards had arrived. Maya could feel a sliver of true fear as another deep roar echoed from the corridor he had disappeared down. An answering, higher pitched roar had sounded from somewhere further away in the manor followed by a series of crashes from what sounded like the front of the large home. It sounded like something very large and/or very strong had just crashed through the very walls of the home.

Swallowing down the fear as best she could, Maya could only sit and wait for this ordeal to be over…

-o-

Ellen Brandt thought she had been a given a fairly easy mission.

Track down Maya Hansen and bring back some leverage and intel concerning one Dr. Bruce Banner who was believed to be residing in this very quaint resort town in France. Pepper Potts had escaped from the attack in Miami with Maya in tow to this place. It was a very pretty and peaceful looking place; the evening had settled across the grounds and lights from within the manor could be seen from its many windows. It was almost a shame she would have to shatter it. Almost.

Whatever Killian had found regarding this Bruce Banner, it was her job to make sure that she found a way to ensure his cooperation for whatever Killian had planned. It seemed Dr. Banner was another potential genius who could find a way to fix the flaws of the Extremis virus and if Tony Stark proved to be a failure in this aspect then the doctor would be a plan b.

What she had not counted on was the fact that the place Maya's tracking signal was coming from was a heavily guarded manor with expansive lands. She had only brought a dozen men with her, all former soldiers who had undergone the Extremis procedure and survived like she had. Though the guards of the home were putting up one hell of a fight, they were a hell of a lot stronger and faster and, thanks to their healing factor, able to jump right back up from whatever bullets were fired their way.

The grounds were becoming a killing field for the guards of this manor home and Brandt couldn't help the smug smile that formed on her lips. Up until one of her men were shot by a guard, shot by something that wasn't a normal bullet, and the soldier immediately began to glow with overwhelming heart. The Extremis virus in his system was going out of control and he was screaming bloody murder as his body went into over drive. Everyone within the vicinity was caught off guard the moment the soldier exploded. The resounding explosion had thrown a majority of the fighting to a slight stand still. Those guards who had been closest to the exploding soldier did not survive the blast.

Brandt had cursed at the loss of one of her own, not expecting these people to have a way to fight back against them. Did they know about the Extremis virus? Were they aware of whom it was they worked for?

These thoughts had flown through Brandt's head for a split second before another explosion had erupted, this time from one of her men who had managed to get closer to the large house. The explosion had managed to shake the very foundations of the home and the blast had damaged the front doors. The fighting had been brought to a pause after the first explosion but it looked like one of her men had tried to take advantage of that and had come across someone or something who had shot him with the same type of ammunition that had killed the first one.

The explosion seemed to cause something to happen in retaliation from the people inside the manor because a resounding roar echoed from the direction of the manor itself followed by the sight of something huge pulverizing through the damaged doors and surrounding walls of the front of the manor. Brandt could feel her heart stop in her chest as the sight of a huge monstrous form emerged from the ruined front of the home and began searching the grounds, looking for the source of the attack.

She didn't need a second to call out the order to a retreat, recognizing the huge form belonging to that of the Hulk. Why was the Hulk here? Was this a second, secret, base for the Avengers and no one had been aware of it? She was crying out orders to retreat to her remaining soldiers as she turned tail and started to run, she wasn't going to test the limits of her healing factor by fighting this behemoth. Unfortunately, nothing was going to be working in her favor this day.

The sound of more roars had joined the first and she chanced a glance backwards to see that two more monsters had emerged from the home. They were nothing like the Hulk, one was a shorter female and the other a taller male, both were lithe and lean with taunt muscle and glowing red veins that showed on their arms and necks and other areas of skin that their clothing did not cover. They looked eerily similar to what Brandt had for herself with glowing red heat in her own veins. However, that similarity ended with the sight of glowing clawed hands and feet that were actually erupting with balls of flame.

The taller male had let loose a roar as he spotted the retreating form of one of her men and lifted his clawed hand before throwing loose a fireball that struck its retreating target. The soldier let out a shrill scream once the fireball had impacted with his back. It took a second before he exploded with barely a moment to think, the heat of the fireball too much for his own healing factor to beat. The moment the monsters had spotted them it was too late: All hell had broken loose.

It wasn't a fight now, it was a massacre.

The monsters completely ignored the guards of the home and were racing across the grounds toward them. Brandt's final coherent thought was: _Fuck this shit,_ before she was pushing her body to its limits to escape the raging creatures that were descending upon them. The sounds of her men screaming and howling with pain behind her and the sound of them exploding did not deter her desperation to escape from the trap they had unexpectedly found themselves in.

It wasn't until she was almost at the gates of the manor that a shock of pain erupted from her torso. She let out a gasping breath as blood filled her right lung and erupted from her mouth. She looked down at her chest to find what looked like glowing, red claws sticking out of the right side of her chest, the burning heat from them causing a pain that the former soldier/assassin had never felt before. The clawed hand lifted her up from the ground and she could not help but turn her head to gaze into the raging face of the female monster, her glowing yellow eyes a sign that whatever this thing was, she was much stronger than Brandt herself could ever wish or hope or dream to be.

Her snarling growls were only amplified by the larger males that had come to a stop on either side of the female, the Hulk and the taller crimson skinned male making the woman feel small and insignificant. It was the next thing that happened that caused Brandt to gasp with utter shock and surprise.

The Extremis virus in her system – instead of becoming unstable – began to leave her system. The clawed hand that had pierced her torso and was glowing with immense heat and pulsing, glowing veins could be seen across every visible surface of skin. The glowing heat of the virus was being absorbed by the female monster and at the end of it Brandt was nothing more than a woman, a mere human woman. She had been tossed to the ground with little regard and she could barely hold her head up from the pain that coursed through her. Yet, she heard the growling words from the female demon as she heard multiple footsteps thudding toward them. It seemed more of the guards were coming…

" _Take this one… Keep her alive…"_ the female said this in a growling voice that made Brandt wish she was anywhere else but here. Another human voice had acknowledged the command and she was hauled up roughly, her dizzying gaze catching sight of the female demon's hate filled gaze before darkness descended…


	58. The Interrogation

_I'm going there to free my brother…_

**Old Age –** Nirvana

-o-

Chapter 58: The Interrogation

The interrogation had started out as standard interrogations do.

Maya was in a room somewhere in the manor, or rather below it, and it was as you would imagine an interrogation room to be. A bare room with concrete walls, no windows, the only furniture being a metal table and two chairs with a single fluorescent light in the ceiling above illuminating everything. There wasn't one of those two-way mirrors that you would expect to see, instead there was a camera in one corner of the room watching her every move.

It was the morning after the attack on the manor and Maya had been moved from her guest room and down into a cell somewhere in the bowels of this huge home. She didn't issue a complaint and she didn't fight back. She simply waited for her captors to decide what it was they wanted to do with her. When they had confiscated her belongings, she knew that they would find the vial of the Extremis virus along with the tracking device imbedded in her phone. She knew that those two things would be her downfall but she was determined to set things right. She had only wanted to stabilize the flaws of her creation – to use it for the betterment of mankind when it came to healing and medicine. That was why she had partnered with Killian in the first place so she could have the ways and the means but especially the funds to bring her dream into reality.

Now, it was turning into a nightmare…

The door to the room opened and Maya was pulled from her brooding thoughts, glancing up to catch sight of several people making their way into the room. The first person was woman of Asian descent, dressed smartly in a pair of black slacks and a blouse, the gun holstered on her right hip indicated she must've been one of the guards who worked for the family. The next person to walk in was a woman who was wearing an all metal blue and silver suit that looked to be a creation of Tony Stark's. This woman was of Caucasian descent, older than the first woman, but still very beautiful with straight black hair held back in a ponytail and pale blue eyes that seemed, to Maya, to look straight through her. Her face was an expressionless mask but her eyes seemed to be blazing with unadulterated fury.

The next people to walk in were a couple – a man and woman, hand in hand – and they passed the other two women to come to a stop at the table. The man and woman would have been considered unremarkable, average even. Both were of average build and height for their respective genders. The man sported dark brown waves with a hint of grey at the temples, silver rimmed reading glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. It took a moment but Maya recognized the man – with a shock of surprise – as the ever-elusive Dr. Bruce Banner himself. She had known he was living here of course – after Pepper Potts had given her a rundown about the family on the way over – but she did not think that he would have personally seen to this interrogation. For a split second, Maya considered addressing the man but at the sight of the hardness in his brown eyes and a muscle ticking in his jaw, she thought it best to remain silent.

The woman beside him was shorter than him by several inches; her copper brown curls were a funny mix of a silky frizz that was kept in check by a simple braid. Her own brown eyes were staring at Maya with suppressed rage and every so often – Maya swore it was a trick of the light – a flash of a yellow glow would emerge. However, there was no mistaking the inhuman sight of the deep crimson veins in her neck that were pulsing with the woman's heartbeat and Maya knew that whoever this woman was, she was anything but human. In fact, there was something about this woman that Maya vaguely recognized but she couldn't for the life of her remember from where. It wasn't because she had the same crimson veins in her neck as the tall man named Erai. It was something else, something she had long forgotten. It was nagging at her from the back of her mind as she watched this group of people, waiting for them to finally speak.

It took a few more moments of meaningful and tense silence before the woman beside Dr. Banner moved to take the seat in the remaining chair at the metal table. She carefully placed her hands upon the cool surface and slowly intertwined her fingers in a deliberate motion of trying to calm oneself. Dr. Banner went to stand behind her and reached out to place his hands upon her shoulders, his fingers massaging the tension out of her in a manner that spoke intimate familiarity. The flash of an intricate gold band on his left hand revealed the exact reason why. This woman was his wife and Erai's sister, Ana. She was the one who had just given birth…

Maya could feel the guilt coiling around in the pit of her stomach as glanced between the couple, her thoughts running to a worst-case scenario. She had brought this trouble to their doorstep and she knew anything she said at this point would not make a difference in her defense.

"I need to know," began Ana, her voice was graced with an accent that sounded like French but was mixed with something else Maya was not familiar with. "I need to know why those people attacked my home and why _you_ led them here." She took in a breath to calm her growing tension, Dr. Banner's hands continuously massaging her shoulders in help keep her calm. "Tell me, from the beginning, everything you know and why you needed my brother…" At the questioning glance that had shown on Maya's face, the frown on Ana's had deepened. "Tony Stark. His Miami home was attacked by the Mandarin and he is now missing. It is no coincidence that you happened to be there and happened to tag along with Pepper to come here. Now suddenly my home and my family are attacked by some unknown people who had no reason to come here in the first place." Her clasped hands tightened as the crimson veins began to grow from her neck and down toward her collar bones. "Tell me everything. Now."

And so, Maya did.

She told her story from the very beginning.

From her discovery of the properties of the Extremis virus to her one-night stand with Tony back in 1999. How Tony had, in his drunken genius, created an incomplete mathematical formula that nearly stabilized the virus from its previous wild instabilities. How, after Tony's disappearance, she had partnered with Aldrich Killian and together they continued to develop and improve the virus but could not crack the answer to the incomplete formula, thus keeping the Extremis in its unstable state. She told them everything, out of guilt, out of shame for her petty revenge for a broken heart, and by the end of it all, Maya felt drained both emotionally and physically.

After she had finished her story, she kept her gaze on the surface of the metal table, nervously rubbing her hands over and over. The silence that fell was thick and tense.

Finally, the sound of something clattering against the surface of the table caught her attention. Maya looked toward the sound and found her vial of the Extremis virus, its contents giving a violent red glow. It was resting nonchalantly beside another vial, this one bearing contents that were a subtler shade of red, a faint glow swirling within. Between the two, Maya could see there were some similarities but the Extremis virus was clearly the more violent concoction of the two. When she looked up at Ana in question, the other woman's face was devoid of any visible emotion.

"The one on your right is a creation of my mother's. One she had derived from the healing factor of my own body. The one on your left is… yours. Notice the similarities and differences?" Maya did not respond; she did not know what Ana was getting at. "You truly do not remember, do you?" Ana asked, studying Maya with something akin to indifference. At Maya's continued silence, Ana merely scoffed before she looked behind her at the Asian woman. "Cammie, would you please?"

The woman gave a nod before she pulled a tablet from a satchel at her side and flicking her fingers across the screen. A moment of silence passed before Cammie moved over to the table and set the tablet down in front of Maya. Maya glanced down at the screen and she felt her insides grow as cold as ice with fear. Staring back up at her was file, a file containing a picture of herself with her name and title of intern followed by the symbol of the LIFE Foundation. This was from back in 1997. The file continued revealing her job as an intern working on a project called BIRTH. It went on and on about her status within this very secretive group. She had finished her internship late in 1998 where her discoveries of the Extremis virus had escalated. Now the memories were coming back and Maya knew exactly why this woman was so familiar to her. _She_ had been the project, 01. _She_ had been the focal point of Project BIRTH for the LIFE Foundation…

"You took something that did not belong to you," said Ana, her indifferent look melting away to one of deep seated hatred. "A basis – a grounds to start. The Extremis virus you had created was all from your hard work but you would not have had an inspiration for such a thing had you not witnessed all that you had working for the LIFE Foundation. _Mon Dieu…_ " Ana let out a humorless laugh as she shook her head. "You _stole_ someone else's work, who had in turn stolen it." Her laugh ceased and her eyes began to glow, a continuous yellow that made Maya shrink back in fear. "They had kept me prisoner. Stole all that I was, made me less than human and you _helped_ them!" She slammed her fists against the surface of the table, denting the metal in. "And you took what came from me and created… _this._ " She sneered down at the vial of Extremis. "This unstable concoction that will sooner kill the person it is injected into and all those around them than help them. You are to blame for all of the deaths that resulted from the creation of this thing." She focused her gaze back on Maya and her anger and hatred was clear. "You will tell us everything you know about this Aldrich Killian and this Mandarin, where their bases are, who they work with, _everything_. They have my brother. Wherever they are, we're going to find them and free him. Then, we will kill every last one of them infected with this thing before they take any more innocent lives."

She stood up from the chair and closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm herself. Dr. Banner had stood in silence behind his wife, offering support, until that moment. When Maya locked eyes with the doctor, his brown eyes had flashed with a green tint. "Don't think your part in this is over. You brought this trouble to our family. We're going to deal with the mess you created and, once that's done, we'll deal with you." He glanced back at Cammie and gave a nod. "Get everything from her. Let us know when you're done."

"Yes sir," was all the other woman said and stood aside to let the couple pass her. The woman in the blue and silver metal suit had not said a word the entire time she was there. She had simply stood as still as a statue, a witness to all that had transpired. She had moved forward the moment the couple had moved away from the table and scooped up the vials. Then, with one last glance at Maya, she turned on her heel and left with couple.

The woman named Cammie had moved to focus her attention on Maya and a cold smile touched her lips. "Well then, let's start with this Killian fella." She took a seat in the chair Ana had abandoned and pulled the tablet toward her, clearing out the files from before and bringing up an app to take notes.

Maya sighed heavily but gave a nod. It's not as if she had any other choice in the matter...


	59. If There was One Thing

_All blood does is make you related_

_But loyalty?_

_It's loyalty that makes you family…_

**For Blood and Loyalty** – Chris Kasparoza

-o-

Chapter 59: If There was One Thing

If there was one thing that Tony Stark could say about his life so far, he had made some mistakes.

He was only human.

Mind you a billionaire, a playboy, a philanthropist, and a genius.

Yet, beneath it all, still human.

Had he known that the decisions he had made back on that fateful night in Switzerland in 1999 would come back to haunt him, he would probably would've thought twice about making those choices. Hey, he had been young and full of himself. Not to say that was an excuse and not to say that he wasn't full of himself now, because he still was. He wouldn't be Tony without these charming qualities about him. Yet, he would have liked to believe that he was older and wiser now, the silver at his temples had to be proof enough of that fact.

Now, as he carefully made his way over the grilled platforms of this damaged oil tanker –flanking his buddy Colonel Rhodes – as they infiltrated this place in their attempts to rescue President Ellis, he couldn't help but have these thoughts drifting in and out of his mind. His thoughts had drifted to the fight he and Pepper had just shortly before she had left with Maya in tow to France. They drifted to the myriad of panic attacks he had experienced within the past several weeks since being apart from his family stemming from anxieties he had not even been aware of until recently. They drifted to the little niece and nephew he had yet to meet since his little sister had given birth when all of this trouble had started. His thoughts drifted in and out of the here and now, a part of him thinking back on his capture and his subsequent escape only to meet up with Rhodey – whose War Machine/Iron Patriot suit had been stolen by Killian's men – and to spearhead a rescue for the members of the Air Force One crew, who had been the unfortunate victims of said attack from Killian's man to kidnap the president. So much had happened…

"We're going to need back up," said Rhodey, as he looked around at the grilled platforms up above and below them, watching the men and women of Killian's successful Extremis experimenting moving quickly as they surrounded them. The sleeveless uniforms revealed their arms to bear a hint of glowing and heated veins, their faces matching this glow, and a part of Tony couldn't help but wonder – for the umpteenth time since this whole ordeal started – if there was any possible connection between what had been done to them and what his little sister had gone through as a test subject…

"Sir," Jarvis' cultured voice had broken through his reverie and Tony cocked back the safety to his gun as he got ready. "Your back up is on the way." The news had come as a surprise to the billionaire since he had not been expecting the back up to arrive so soon after implementing "House Party."

"Jarvis," said Tony, a look of wary hope rising up into his hazel eyes. "That's a little quick, don't you think?"

" _Tony,_ " a distinct female computerized voice had broken through the communication at that moment and the sudden smile of relief that touched his goateed features was the first real one he had had in days.

"Hey Jenn, long time no hear!" He said, ignoring the confused look on Rhodey's face. "What've you been up to?"

"Mon Dieu, _I swear Anthony Stark!"_ Jenn's voice was snarling in his earpiece and his smile grew the angrier she sounded – or as angry as a synthesized voice could get. _"The next time you decide to tackle a terrorist group and disappear off the face of the Earth, be kind enough to keep us in the loop? Believe it or not, you_ do _have people who care about you!_ "

"I take it you missed me?" he said, the amusement could be heard in his voice as he looked expectantly up at the surrounding night, already knowing who was coming as his back up.

" _I wasn't the only one,_ " said Jenn as the sound of a jet could be heard flying overhead. " _Your back up is here. I suggest you get into one of your suits or get out of the way if you don't want to be caught up in the crossfire._ "

"You got it," he said as he lowered his gun and cast a glance over at Rhodey, the smile on his face turning into his regular smirk as he caught the confused look on his best friend's face.

"Tony," said Rhodey, his own wariness apparent on his dark features as the colonel began to shift restlessly on his feet. He looked around at the surrounding glowing men and women before his gaze landed back on the billionaire. "Tell me that was help on the way?"

"Jarvis," said Tony, ignoring his best friend as he turned around and started making his way down the stairs and away from the trouble that was about to brew. "Make sure they have support. Update the targeting parameters to any hostile laced with Extremis." After Jarvis voiced the affirmative, he glanced back at Rhodey over his shoulder and the smirk seemed to get even more. "We might wanna get going. Things are about to get messy."

Rhodey was confused as he hesitantly turned to follow after his best friend. "What do you mean? Tony! We can't just abandon the pres-"

The sound of the jet from before flew past again, cutting off Rhodey's exclamation, but this time the sights and sounds that followed its passing was something that Tony would remember and laugh about for as long as he could. The look of utter confusion and bewilderment that hit the faces of Killian's soldiers followed by the surprise as three large, raging monsters fell from the skies above to crash among them was the best thing Tony had ever seen in his life. Rhodey let out a curse and was already hightailing it out of the way as Cin, in all of her crimson, fiery rage, crashed through a few of the platforms above them only to catch herself on a broken grill. She hung there above them, her glowing gaze catching sight of Tony gazing up at her from below.

Tony smiled up at her and gave her a salute. "Baby sis! Glad you could come to the party!"

The sound of a deep roar from below her, followed by screaming and explosions, was evidence that the Hulk was never too far behind her. Another roar erupted from the other side of the oil tanker and further up, more explosions and the sound of bullets firing and ricocheting off the surrounding metal work. Erai was making quick work of the soldiers, his swiping claws and fire attacks ripping through their ranks. Even Tony could admit the satisfaction at the sight of it. It looked like the whole family showed up to play.

Cin simply smirked at Tony in response to his comment before she pulled herself up to climb onto the grilled platform she had been hanging from. She looked like she was about to make a leap for a platform higher up when Tony called out to her. She stopped and looked down at him in question.

"Cin, would you be a dear and mind grabbing the president for me? He's hanging in the middle of the air over there, in the suit, can't miss him." Tony pointed to the Iron Patriot suit strung up high above an opening that was dark and foreboding. It was an opening in the tanker itself and it was not going to be used for any good purpose, that was for sure. Cin caught sight of the man in the suit, who was calling out for help, before she looked at Tony and gave a nod in consent.

Tony's answering smile was quite infectious and Cin could only smile in return, the sound of the Hulk crashing through a support beam behind her not dampening the brother/sister moment.

"By the way, gotta say, you look great after carrying around twins. Gotta tell me your secret, might be able to market that…" said Tony, ruining the tender moment in his usual fashion. Cin huffed and shook her head before she turned around and leapt off into the higher levels toward where the president was hanging.

"Uh, Tony," Rhodey began as he followed after his best friend while he watched the insanity and chaos erupt behind him. "Please tell me that wasn't the Hulk just ripping through a support beam to the upper floors…"

"Rhodey, Rhodey, Rhodey," said Tony in response, the shit eating grin on his face as he glanced back at his friend and started to move a faster. The support beam in question was groaning and slowly keeling over before crashing into another support beam beside it. "I think it would be best that we get the hell out of here and not worry about what the raging monsters do to the terrorists' base."

Rhodey didn't need telling twice and was right on Tony's heels the moment the platform started shuddering beneath their feet.

-o-

Aldrich Killian wasn't sure when everything had gone pear shaped.

He supposed it could have been the moment he saw two large, fiery creatures making mincemeat out of his soldiers, tearing them literally limb from limb and/or making them explode just from being in contact with them. It could have been the moment a huge, green, hulking thing had crashed through one of the support beams holding up his office before it went on to decimate the rest of his ground troops. It could have been the moment he and the office, were crashing down, down, and down toward the very pit of the oil tanker, where a fiery inferno was waiting for him.

It could have been any of these things.

Yet, it hadn't.

He knew the very moment it happened.

The moment when one of the raging creatures had crashed into the office, its glowing eyes searching before finally connecting with his. It was the moment the creature, a female by the look of it, rushed forward and the sharp red claws of her right hand had found its mark in the very center of his torso, narrowly missing his heart. How, despite his strength and his own heat from the Extremis virus in his system, it was nothing compared to the fiery heat that rolled off of this creature in waves. She had snarled in his face and took him roughly as she crashed her way out of the falling office and leapt out of the broken window she had entered through.

She was much stronger than she looked and barely flinched as she landed with a crash to the concrete ground of the docking area. Behind her, the sight and sound of the oil tanker exploding behind them was incredible.

Killian was trying to pull the creature's hand from his torso, it was painful and its own heat was too much for the healing factor of his body to handle. He started to laugh as he stared up at the creature's raging face. "You… are a strong one, aren't you?"

The creature only growled in reply, not paying any mind to the two men that were making their way toward them, one of them with their guns drawn. Instead, her claws dug deeper and he cried out as the pain and heat tore through him.

"Well, well," said Tony, as he came to a stop beside the creature. "Killian, fancy seeing you here."

Killian coughed, black smoke easing out of his nostrils and mouth. "Stark… You think you won this? You think you can stop me, the true Mandarin?"

"Me? No, not really," he said in reply before he tilted his head toward Colonel Rhodes. "But the United States government is eager to get their hands on you."

Killian laughed at this. "They won't be able to do a thing. By the time we're through here, everything would have been purged."

Tony merely shook his head as he looked at the colonel. "Can you believe this guy? Always for the theatrics." He looked back at Killian and smiled. "Everything you had ever had your hand in has not been purged. In fact, I have a very good source telling me that she has just finished hacking and downloading everything pertaining to you and your corporation and it's currently being decrypted as we speak." He paused at this and looked up at the creature, his smile growing. "I swear your aunt never ceases to amaze me."

The creature let out a huff of laughter as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

The ground shook at that moment and Killian had the privilege of seeing true power up close and personal. Two more monsters had arrived on the scene, a large green being Killian recognized as the Hulk and another taller crimson skinned monstrosity that looked like it might be related to the female.

For the first time in a very long time, Killian felt true fear.

"I think it's time end this, don't you sis?" asked Tony, as he glanced up at the female beside him.

She gave a nod in consent, before the clawed hand in Killian's torso removed itself. As his body healed itself, the creature grabbed the back of his neck and the claws were dangerously close to his jugular. The hand on the back of his neck had begun to grow hotter and hotter and, to his horror, the Extremis virus that had been in his system for so long was draining out of his body. This creature was absorbing it, all of it, and by the end of it, Killian was nothing more than a husk of his former glory.

He could barely stand as his body twitched, nothing more than flesh and bone.

The creature dropped him to the floor with little regard before she turned and made her way over to the Hulk, who picked her up and settled her on his broad shoulder. " _Go home…_ " she said in a growling voice to Tony, her glowing eyes focused on her brother.

Tony looked up at her and a fond smile touched his lips. "Yeah… let's go home…"


	60. A New Chapter

_I know a place where diamonds never fade away_

_My dearest friend is shining brighter day by day_

_Any day is a new chance…_

**A New Chance** – The Tough Alliance

-o-

Chapter 60: A New Chapter

A new chapter in his life.

That is what Tony Stark would call this moment after everything that had happened to him.

A new chapter, a new family, a new chance…

When he first held Beccie and then Luc in his arms, he felt the instant connection. They were so tiny and so fragile and so beautifully innocent. Their dark brown curls, their unfocused dark eyes, and the absolute normality of them despite the extraordinary traits of their parents. They were two little babies new to this world that would need to be protected from those who would wish them harm.

Tony would never admit to having any paternal instincts but at that moment in time, those instincts were beginning to come to life. Tony knew he would do whatever he could to protect his niece and nephew…

"Ana and I were talking about it and we would like to you be their godfather... If you feel up to it."

Tony had to smirk at that as he watched Luc drink greedily from the bottle that Ana had given him, his little eyes scrunched up with the utmost concentration. He had the honor of feeding his nephew and, though it had been awkward at first, he quickly got the hang of how to hold the little guy once Bruce had shown him. Beccie was off with her mother getting a warm bath.

It felt nice.

The domesticity…

They were in Avengers Tower in New York City, using it as a temporary home while the DuPont manor was being restored. Tony had debated on rebuilding his Miami home but decided against it. He rather liked being under the same roof as his family again.

"I don't see why not… Might help my overall approval ratings." He looked up at Bruce and his smirk turned into a real smile as he caught sight of the other man rolling his eyes and shaking his head in exasperation. "Big Man," he said, catching Bruce's attention. "I'd be honored. Thank you…"

Considering everything that had happened after the Maya/Mandarin fiasco a few weeks prior, Tony was grateful that Bruce and Ana didn't see him at fault for all that happened. Pepper was a slightly different story and for some reason she had been keeping her distance from Tony and the family. She seemed to keep herself busy as the CEO of Stark Industries but Tony had the distinct feeling it was all just an excuse. He had an inkling that she was feeling guilty for all that had happened at the manor, even though Bruce and Ana didn't blame her either. Whatever her reasons, Ana had told Tony that she had sensed a slight tension in Pepper's link among the pack and it was best that they leave her be to figure out what it was.

Tony knew the tension had been because of the fight they had prior to Pepper leaving the Miami home. He wasn't one to normally listen anyway and knew they were going to need to talk about whatever this new tension was between them. It would just have wait for another day, when Pepper felt comfortable enough to stay longer than just a moment before running off to handle whatever business meeting or trip she had. For right now, he was enjoying the peace that his family was bringing him, easing the tension and even preventing the anxiety attacks he had been having during the whole Mandarin trouble. Killian was now firmly behind bars and Maya remaining firmly under the watchful eye of the DuPont group – who was now working and doing research for the pharmaceuticals company as a part of her plea bargain for immunity for giving info on Killian and the Mandarin.

Happy had woken up a couple of days after the family had decimated the oil tanker and now he was on the way to a slow but steady recovery.

Things were looking good so far…

"Ana said we'll need to keep an eye out for the LIFE Foundation," said Bruce, folding his arms across his chest as his gaze landed on his son, who was just finishing up his bottle. "She said with how quiet they've been we may need to consider the chance they may have partnered up with some other agencies and may be planning something."

Tony frowned at this as he looked down at Luc and gently shook his head. "We'll let Nick know about Ana's concerns. Right now, the only thing you and Ana need to worry about is taking care of these twins. That's what SHIELD is for right?" He looked up at Bruce and smirked. "Besides, that's what Uncle Tony is here for – make sure this little guy and his sister have nothing to worry about."

Bruce could only chuckle at that and shook his head, his fondness for his best friend and brother were beyond words. Especially with the sight of him feeding his son. There was something oddly funny and sweet and out of place about seeing the billionaire genius bottle feeding a newborn baby in an armchair. Yet, here he was, and Bruce had to admit it was a sight that he wouldn't want to forget any time soon…

-o-

 _~_ End of Part 3 _~_


	61. The Dark Sky Turned Bright

_I wanna clap a little louder than before_

_I wanna sing a little louder than before_

_I wanna spin wilder than before_

_I wanna shout louder than before_

_Freedom…_

**Freedom** – Eddie James

-o-

~ _Intermission~_

Chapter 61: The Dark Sky Turned Bright

The dark sky turned bright from the light of portals ripping across the vast expanse of the horizon of this dead world. Where before there had been nothing more than a dead sky filled with the distant light of stars and galaxies that failed to reach this dead world, now an unexpected sight of portals brought a certain life to the world that had not been seen in many generations.

When the scouts that usually ventured the surface of their dead world had caught sight of the wild portals ripping open across the sky, they were quick to run back to their underground city and make their report to the ruling council. Something was happening. Something big…

It didn't take long for nearly all of the ruling council, the guards, and even the citizens of the underground city to reach the dead surface of their world to see the spectacle for themselves. Wild portals were ripping open, showing scenes from the other Nine Realms that these people had not seen for themselves. Only the memories of their ancestors revealed to them the portals were the result of a phenomena they called the Alignment. It happened once every five thousand years and the last time it had happened, it had been during the reign of Bor of Asgard, long before they had cast themselves to this dark realm…

It wasn't until a very large portal had opened and particularly large, dark ship emerged from it that excitement and hope began to ripple through the people. The dark ship was big enough to house the entire population of their city and then some…

Once the ship had fully emerged from the portal, it slowly made its way past the dead lands of their home world and made its way toward where their mountain range, where their underground city remained. It slowed in its descent before slowly and carefully landing itself on the flat plain of land at the base of mountain that housed the entrance to their city.

The lights of the ship lit the immediate area and a large doorway revealed itself at the bow of the ship, slowly opening as a long ramp began to descend toward the ground…

A tall man emerged from the ship, flanked by a guard of what looked like Asgardians. He walked slightly ahead of the group; he was caramel skinned and lithe of frame. The man who followed behind the leader of the group was fair-haired and thick with muscle, a large silver hammer in his right hand as a red cape flowed behind him. The group of men and one woman behind this man were of various descents from across the Nine Realms, but obviously of Asgardian citizenship.

Despite the large entourage, it was not the group of Asgardians that had excited the people. It was the sight of the tall man himself that got the excitement and hopes of the people to rise out of control. The cheering began as a slow trickle at first, and then a tremendous roar, as they recognized the man as one of their own. He had gone some time before, going out on a mission to search for his missing sister, who had also left many cycles prior in an attempt to find a way to free their people. Now, it seemed they both had completed their mission because the man, the one they called Erai, had come back home. He had returned, as his twin had promised to do so long before, with the Asgardians in tow. They were finally free.

After so many, many years of the cold darkness of their prison – which they had done in order to protect the Nine Realms from the threat of the Chitari- the Lyttans and Pyragians were finally free…

"We're finally free!"


	62. Part 4: If Only

_In a perfect storybook_

_The world is brave and good_

_A hero takes your hand_

_A sweet love will follow_

_But life's a different game_

_The sorrow and the pain_

_Only you can change your world tomorrow…_

**Strong** – Sonna Rele

-o-

~Part 4~

Chapter 62: If Only

_In the country of Sokovia - 2015_

_If only…_

That was the phrase that Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow found herself thinking a lot these days.

If only Loki had not arrived on Earth and kick started the alien invasion that would be the stepping stone to the events that would transpire over the following three years…

If only SHIELD had not been infiltrated by one of the very groups they had been against since its founding, causing its downfall…

If only things had not developed as they had…

If only things were so simple…

_If only…_

She was starting to hate those two words with a passion.

However, it was mostly because of the difficulty her emotions were bringing forth these days that she hated these two words so much. There was the unexpected attraction that had developed over the years, the confusion that followed suit, and then the guilt and anger at herself for harboring such emotions to begin with.

She was better than this.

Hell, her best friend was a married man with two beautiful children and another on the way. They had been partners for years. There had been no difficulty. No attraction. Nothing but kinship and friendship and he was a good-looking man, there was no doubt of that.

Why was this situation any different?

Why was it when she looked at him did her heart quicken? Why was it that every time he smiled or laughed or simply had a conversation did her insides feel like someone had let loose a number of butterflies?

She just couldn't understand herself…

It had been during the aftermath of their raid on a HYDRA base they had tracked down – one in an eastern European country known as Sokovia – which harbored the missing scepter that belonged to Loki that it had all come to a focal point. The Avengers team had done many missions together over the past two years. Some he had been on and some he had not. Most of those missions included _her_ along because it was a rare moment that they were apart from one another. Their unique abilities set them apart from the rest of the team but were so similar to each other. So much so that from the moment they had met there had been instant an instant spark of attraction. From there, they had developed the kind of relationship that any person on this planet and beyond it would be envious of. Around each other, they were the most peaceful people you could ever hope to meet and together they made the strongest members of the Avengers team. Natasha could admit she was envious of what they had.

This mission was no different.

For those rare missions that either he or she had been a part of, and neither of their significant others were there to help calm them down, Tony Stark had helped to develop a couple of backup plans for the two raging monsters. For him, the first phase was what they called the Lullaby. For reasons that were beyond Natasha's understanding, the Big Guy had taken a liking to her over the years. Outside of his significant other, Natasha was the only other person who could get close enough to get through to calm him down. So, with his significant other's help, they had developed a few calming phrase words and gestures that Natasha would initiate that would help him relax and get back to his calm self. If that didn't work, they would they initiate their plan B, which they simply called Veronica. It was a project that he and Tony had worked on as a last resort plan, just in case if all of the above options should fail. He had doubted they would need Veronica simply because that it was indeed a rare moment that his very reason for calming down was not there with him.

For her, if he was not there with her, Tony was her calming influence and they didn't need a lullaby to get her calm down. It would only take a few well-placed jokes and quips from him and she would laugh and laugh until she had calmed down to the point that she could barely breathe. They had also developed a failsafe plan in case that failed or if Tony nor her significant other was not around. It was integrated with Veronica's system. She was not as big or as physically strong as her significant other but she was much faster and her powers over explosive, combustible attacks had gotten stronger over the years thanks in part to the Extremis virus she had absorbed two years prior. She had grown to the point that if she was pushed to the brink, she could not only generate enough heat and power to potentially incinerate and destroy any and all those who stood too close to her, she could also manipulate any sources of heat that was within a certain radius of her: i.e. magma that would happen to flow a little too close to the surface and it would fall into that radius of where she was.

The resulting attack had been devastating to the local plant life and the HYDRA base they had been raiding at that time. Thankfully it had been a remote area and there had been no towns, cities, or civilians who had been caught up in blast. The same couldn't be said for the agents of that HYDRA base. It was something that the team agreed upon: They would only allow her to get to that point as a last resort. It was a good thing he had been there to calm her down…

Together, the two of them were easily the strongest of the Avengers.

Apart, they were strong but at greater risk of losing control.

So, they made the effort if they were needed on a mission to never be apart from one another.

Over the last two years and over the many missions, their relationship and their bond had only gotten stronger and stronger because of it.

Natasha could say she was envious of all that they had and it was mostly due in part to her own traitorous heart for seeing something in him that she had never seen in anyone else.

It hit her as she stood on that small snow-covered mound in the woods outside of the HYDRA base, watching the Hulk as he paced angrily back in and forth in a snow covered clearing he had made, that the quiet and sweet man beneath the rage was all she still could see. Their battle against this particular HYDRA base had been a close call. They had almost lost Hawkeye from a laser blast to the side of his torso. The Hulk had taken out the bunker that had been responsible for that blast, helping to reduce the chance of any others from getting wounded. It hit her the moment she heard the scuffling of quick feet over the deep snow and the sound of hissing and melting as the snow came in contact with the skin of this particular person. It hit her the moment she saw Cin emerge from the depths of the woods and launched herself at the Hulk, her croons of relief and happiness at the sight of her mate as a familiar a sound to Natasha as the sight of the smile that touched the Hulk's face.

The moment he reached out to his mate and swept her up into a tight embrace, his deep grumbles of laughter as Cin peppered his face with kisses, it hit Natasha like a freight train.

The moment they kissed, Cin's lithe limbs wrapping around the Hulk's thick neck and muscled torso, she had to turn away from the display, the tightness in her chest and the sudden urge to want to run away catching her off guard. She left the spare clothes she had brought for them down on the snow beside her feet, hearing the familiar sound of the Hulk and Cin reverting back to their calm selves.

When Bruce's deep chuckle had emerged from behind her, Natasha risked a glance over her shoulder to catch sight of the good doctor still holding his wife close. He was smiling at Ana in such a sweet way, the love quite clear in his soft brown eyes.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you are so warm…" said Bruce as he leaned down to nestle his face in the crook of his wife's neck. "It's freezing out here." He was bare-chested, his only clothing a pair of special dark pants designed by Stark that stretched and contorted to take on the mass that the Hulk always grew.

Ana's giggle emerged, her own uniform a dark two-piece affair that allowed Cin to burn as hot as she liked without risking her becoming nude in the process. She was still clinging to her husband, a flash of gold on her left hand revealing the special Asgardian made wedding band that was never damaged or torn apart during her changes. Natasha knew that Bruce's own wedding band was the same, the band changing in its shape much like his pants whenever he changed into the Hulk, but with his left hand buried in his wife's copper curls, she could not see it.

She gave them another moment of peace before she turned around and cleared her throat. The couple turned to look at her and they both gave her bright smiles in greeting. Natasha felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Bruce's welcome smile and she instead focused her gaze on Ana. "I brought some extra clothes… Tony's secured the scepter. When you two are ready, we'll head back to the Quinjet."

" _Merci,_ Natasha," said Ana, her accent pronouncing Natasha's name in a way that brought a small smile to Natasha's face. She always did like the way Ana spoke. Ana tried to turn slightly in Bruce's tight embrace but his laughter escaped as he tightened his hold around her. "We'll be right along."

"Thanks for the clothes Nat," said Bruce, his smile directed her way as he looked at her. "We'll meet up with you guys once we get dressed."

She tried her best to ignore the sudden thumping of her heart as she turned and left the couple.

She couldn't understand herself.

He was married - _happily_ married - with two children. His wife adored him and he her. They looked to her as a good friend and trusted ally. _Why_ did she feel this way?

_If only…_

There were so many scenarios those two words could bring to mind. If only she didn't feel this way, if only life had worked out differently for them, if only…

She hated those two words so much…

Yet, she was a professional. She would handle this and work her way past it. She had to…

Still, as she walked away from the couple still embracing in the snow behind her, it hit her. At some point along the line, she had somehow found herself developing feelings stronger than they should have been for Dr. Bruce Banner.

She clenched her fists and took in a breath to calm her heart and ease the growing tension in her chest…


	63. Few Things Were as Calming

_And so it begins…_

_Who would have ever thought that this day was so bright?_

**So It Begins** – S.O.

-o-

Chapter 63: Few Things Were as Calming

Few things were as calming to him as the feel of her fingers running through his hair.

Music was one of the other vices he used whenever he would go Code Green and it was something he was using now, a beautiful opera piece that helped to sooth his slightly frayed nerves that still twanged from his change. It helped for those rare moments when she was not there with him. Yet, it didn't have as much of an effect as her touch and her warmth.

Even now, three years after they had met, her touch still made his heart calm and his soul grow warm. He had to smile as he felt her shift beside him, her left arm braced on his shoulder as her fingers continued their loving caresses through his wavy brown hair, which was now sporting more gray at the temples. She had moved closer to him and rested her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes closed as she listened to the sounds of the others moving around them in the Quinjet. He looked down at her as he reached out to take a hold of her right hand with his own, intertwining their fingers and giving them a squeeze. He saw her soft smile in response and felt her gentle nuzzle against his shoulder, not once pausing in her ministrations.

It had gotten to this point in their relationship – where no words were needed to say what needed to be said.

Calm and peace were constant in the part of Dr. Bruce Banner's life that was not with the Avengers and it was thanks to the woman beside him. There were moments, like this one, when his love for her would overwhelm him to the point that he could do nothing else but squeeze her hand tighter. He closed his eyes, thinking of home and of the welcome party that would be there for them. He smiled at the thought of the twins, Luc and Beccie, the two miracles of life that his Ana had blessed him with. They were vivacious and curious two-year olds who got into anything and everything. Tony was of no help and would indulge his godson and goddaughter when their parents were not looking. They were a handful and they were _his._

 _His_ wife and _his_ children…

Which was why he and his wife were doing all they could now to help the Avengers.

They had to protect their family from the threat that HYDRA, and others like them, presented to the world their children had been born into...

"Hey."

The voice that broke through the peaceful singing of the opera soprano caught his attention and he glanced up, pulling down the headphones as he did so. He felt Ana stirring from beside him, her copper brown curls brushing against his jawline. They both looked up to find Natasha standing over them, a slight smile on her face as she looked at the both of them.

"You two did great out there," she said as she moved to take the seat on Bruce's left side. She sat somewhat rigidly as her eyes flicked over to Ana before going back to Bruce. "Didn't even need to do the lullaby or the jokes..." she said this last part with a smirk, still finding it funny that the backup calming plan for Cin was Tony's sense of humor.

Bruce gave a slightly strained smile as he pulled the headphones off his head and set them in his lap, his left hand grasping the cushioned earpiece. "Just wasn't expecting the Code Green," he said before he felt the hand in his right one squeeze his fingers.

He glanced down at Ana and his strained smile relaxed when she looked up at him and gave him a wry smile. "I think you mean Code Christmas, _mon amour,_ " she said, a small laugh threatening to come through. "It is only a Code Green when you are by yourself."

Bruce couldn't help himself and he laughed outright, a deep laugh that reached the very center of him and eased the last of the tension he had been feeling. _Code Christmas_ was the name Tony had given them whenever they changed together. Since green and red were the primary coloring of their respective counterparts it made some sense but it still showed the sense of humor their brother had.

He shook his head as he leaned down to kiss Ana's forehead, his chuckle filled with humor and love. "Code Christmas… Right…"

Natasha was smiling at the both of them, a slightly distant look in her eyes, as she watched the affection between the two of them. "If you two hadn't been there, there would've been double the casualties." She looked over at Hawkeye and her smile grew warm. "My best friend would have been a treasured memory."

"You know," said Bruce, as he turned his attention to Natasha. "Sometimes exactly what I want to hear isn't exactly what I want to hear." He had said this with a smile but a part of him felt this way. If he could help it, he wouldn't want to turn into the Hulk at all. There was this fear – this deep-rooted fear – that no matter how many times he reassured himself the likelihood of it happening being slim to none that there was still a chance of it happening. He was worried that on one of these missions, the Hulk's rage would go completely out of control and he would hurt the ones he loved and cared about. It had not happened in the last few years since he met Ana. With her near, the Hulk was as calm as he could be. As long as he had his fiery one with him, all was right in his world. Since the twins were born, it seemed the constant rage that had been with the Hulk since day one had been soothed and calmed to the point that he and Bruce were in sync with their thoughts and goals: Protect their family.

Yet, the fear was still there.

It was something that would never go away.

"You have to trust in yourself, _mon amour_ ," said Ana as he felt her hand move from his hair to caress his jawline, her short nails gently raking against the stubble. "You trust me. You trust our friends." Her hand paused before she reached out to grasp his chin and move his head so she could look him firmly in the eye. "Trust in yourself and the Other Guy. That is all you can do to help ease the tension."

Bruce studied her warm brown eyes, those eyes he had looked into for countless times and feeling the fear and doubt ease away as it always did. The frown that had formed on his face had eased at her words and he let loose a soft sigh. "Is that how you deal with the fear?"

The look in Ana's eyes had hardened and she swallowed, her form growing tense as the crimson veins in her neck darkened in color. Bruce knew that Ana understood how he felt, knew the fear of losing control. She understood better than anyone on the team. Since that last mission when Cin had destroyed that HYDRA base in a shower of lava and fire, Ana's own fear had grown. Had Bruce not been there to calm Cin down, she could have killed everyone on the team…

She gave a firm nod in reply to his question. "It's all I can do…" she said in a soft voice, a slight tremor revealing the fear making itself known.

"Thor," said Natasha, seeing the tension and unease with the couple. "Report on the Hulk and Cin?"

Thor, who had been standing across the way beside Captain America at a workstation that currently housed Loki's scepter, had glanced their way and a bright smile touched his bearded face. "The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of their victims," he said, raising a fist to the air in honor of their battles.

Natasha glared at Thor, her frown deepening while Bruce let out a groan and dropped his head on Ana's shoulder. Ana actually giggled and shook her head, used to Thor's exuberance over their winning battles. It was something that made Thor who he was after all.

Thor, catching the Natasha's glare and Bruce's slumped form, quickly backpedaled and dropped his hand. "Uh… But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no," he looked at Captain America helplessly before turning back to Natasha. "Uh… Wounded screams… Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and uh…" He trailed off, trying to think of anything else. "Uh… and gout." He finished lamely, his exuberance having died at that moment.

Ana couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her and she was soon leaning on her husband for support, her laughter gone to the point that she could barely breathe. It did the trick though and Bruce was laughing along with his wife, the joy she radiated at that moment was contagious. Natasha, who had turned her attention back to the couple, was also smiling though that distance in her eyes could be seen.

"Hey Banner," a voice called from the cockpit and they all turned their attention to the pilot of the jet, who happened to be Tony Stark. "Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul, is it ok if she sets up in your lab?" The genius billionaire was smiling at the sight of Ana, who was still laughing.

"Uh, yeah, she knows her way around," said Bruce in reply, turning his attention back to Ana, who was now finally starting to calm down.

"Thanks," he said before turning his chair around and turning his attention back to address Jarvis.

Bruce sighed as he felt Ana move closer against him, her arms snaking around his waist and giving him a squeeze. He held her in return, resting his cheek against her copper brown curls. Natasha had stood up to let the couple have their peace though her gaze lingered on Bruce slightly longer than necessary…

-o-

Avengers Tower– their home away from home.

Not that Bruce had anything against the place but he rather preferred the comfort and solitude that DuPont Manor offered. He rather loved Ana's home – their home – and during those times in between missions, they would find their way back there for much needed peace and quiet.

However, when there were missions to complete, they would be here hard at work. The entire family which included Ana's aunt Jenn and the twins. Cin's twin brother, Erai, had left their family with the promises of returning once their people – the Lyttans – were safe and secure in their new home on Asgard. Their people had much to regain from their lost time in that dark realm. Not to mention the mess that had happened with the dark elves and the Aether. It turned out that the Aether was an Infinity Stone but only one half of the whole stone that was known as the Reality stone. The Aether, at some point in its existence, had been torn from its other half and that part had found its way to the dark elves. The other half – which was believed to have been lost to time – had actually been under the protection of the Lyttans and the Pyragians. They had used it to pull themselves and the Chitauri into that dark realm in the first place when the Chitauri had attacked. Now that they were free of the dark realm, their oath of keeping that half of the stone protected had been fulfilled. So, they had entrusted their half of the Reality stone to the Asgardians for safe keeping. Whether it would be a wise choice or not it was not up to them to decide, Erai had been clear: Their people had suffered long enough.

Yet, with the scepter back in their hands and the promise of a celebratory party on the rise in a few days, Thor had given word that Erai was on his way back to spend time with his family.

Ana had been excited at the news.

Once they had gotten cleaned up and dressed, they had made their way to the lab where a familiar pair of curly brown heads was running rampant around Tony's legs. Bruce couldn't help the smile at the sight of his son and daughter doing what two-year olds do best: Getting in the way.

Luc and Beccie were a little over two feet in height with his dark brown hair but having their mother's curls and both dressed in similar clothing, wearing white polo shirts and jeans. The distinct difference in their outfits was their shoes but only a slight difference. Both wore shoes that showed _Paw Patrol_ characters – the show being a hit with the toddlers. Luc's shoes were red sneakers showing the Dalmatian character that was a firefighter and Beccie wore pink sneakers with the female cockapoo pup that flew a helicopter. As they both adored the show it was no wonder that the nearest TV in the lab would be showing an episode from the show.

The moment Bruce had stepped into the lab, his hands buried in the pockets of his white lab coat, the sounds of "Daddy!" rang out to greet him. He smiled the moment they abandoned their godfather and ran over to him. He leaned down with his arms wide open and swept the both of them in a strong embrace, swinging them around in a circle. They squealed with excitement before he set them down back on their feet. Luc had squirmed in his father's arms the moment he caught sight of his mother making her way into the lab. Bruce let him go and smiled the moment he looked back to catch sight of Ana sweeping their son up into her arms.

Beccie, however, had wrapped her arms around her father's neck and simply called out to her mother in hello in her sweet little voice. It was quite obvious she was a daddy's girl, not that she loved her mother any less. Bruce chuckled as he straightened, lifting Beccie back up as he turned to wait for Ana to catch up with them.

The moment Ana was by Bruce's side, they walked over to greet Tony, who looked slightly put out that his godchildren had abandoned him. "I see how it is… Traitors."

The two toddlers only laughed at their godfather's antics and while Bruce focused his gaze on Tony. "How's he doing?"

"Oh," Tony looked over at Bruce as he walked over to a workstation to grab a data pad. "Unfortunately, he's still Barton."

"That's terrible," said Bruce in reply, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek before giving her one last squeeze. "Hey sweetie, Daddy has to get to work, do you want to go with Mommy?"

Beccie's lower lip gave a slight tremble and she firmly shook her head. "No!"

Bruce tried his best to keep from laughing as he looked at Ana for help. His wife laughed and went over to extract their daughter from his arms. "C'mon sunshine, if you come with Mommy, we'll go watch Paw Patrol with _Tante_ Jenn in the next room."

Beccie seemed to think it over and finally she let go of her father and wrapped her arms around her mother, who was now holding both children. Luc had been babbling to Tony the entire time this was going on; his baby talk utterly adorable. Tony had been keeping his godson amused, nodding and making agreeable noises as if the conversation made any sense.

With Bruce finally free to get to work, he leaned in to give Ana a sweet kiss before he watched his family leave the lab to join Jenn in the next room. He turned to Tony and clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "So, what have we got going on with the scepter?"

Tony smiled at this and beckoned the good doctor to follow him. "Alright, look alive Jarvis! It's play time."


	64. Her Uneasiness

_Yeah_

_I just want my love automatic_

_If artificial love makes sense…_

**A.I.** – One Republic

-o-

Chapter 64: Her Uneasiness

Her uneasiness had begun the moment Tony had called her into Bruce's lab, wanting her advice on a few things.

Jennifer DuPont – or Jenn as she was affectionately known by family and friends – had been enjoying her time with Ana and the twins. When Jarvis had notified her that Tony needed her in the lab, she had excused herself from her family and made her way into the lab, the heels of her suit giving off a metallic thud with each step.

Over the past two years, Tony had made vast improvements on the metal suit that Jenn used as her lifeline to move and breathe. He had made the suit thinner and more durable – like a second layer of skin – to the point that she could wear clothing over it. The subtle glow of the arc reactor of her suit could be seen beneath the light blue long sleeved blouse she wore, the only sign that would make her stick out in a crowd. Jenn was a beautiful Caucasian woman of French descent, a few years younger than Tony and Bruce. She had long straight black hair that ended to the middle of her back with a few strands of silver bleeding through. Her pale blue eyes were the most expressive part of her face, seeing as that was the only part of her body she could move without the suit.

The moment she had stepped into the lab, Jarvis' voice had called out to her in greeting and those who did not know her well would not have noticed the distinct difference in her eyes. A sparkle of joy had appeared in her eyes as her gaze focused on a yellow 3D hologram display of Jarvis' consciousness in the middle of the lab.

"Greetings Jenn," said Jarvis, the distinguished tones of his computerized voice sounding almost as if he was pleased to see the woman. It was no secret among the friends and family that Jenn was the only person the AI addressed with that informal familiarity. Even with Tony, who he addressed as "sir" or "Mr. Stark", there was a distinct formality and respect towards his creator. Yet, with Jenn, there was no hesitance. Tony believed it was because of the way Jenn – over her many years of being a quadriplegic that had been connected to a vast computer system – was able to integrate her entire consciousness with Jarvis in a way no one ever had before. In some respects, Jenn could be considered a cybernetic human and so Jarvis more than likely saw her as a fellow AI who resided in a moving humanoid platform and not as a human who just happened to have an intricate cybernetic suit that kept her alive…

Or maybe Jarvis just happened to be a little more comfortable with Jenn. Considering he had been there to care for her when she had been at her lowest point after her sister's death, it was no surprise the woman and the AI had formed a unique bond.

" _Hello Jarvis,_ " said Jenn, her own computerized feminine voice sounding out from a concealed speaker in the hollow of the neck of her suit, just above her collar bones. Her own synthesized voice was graced with a light French accent, helping to make her sound a little more human. As she walked further into the lab, her eyes moved from the yellow sphere hologram of Jarvis' consciousness that was on display toward another hologram beside the AI. This one was also spherical in shape and blue in color. It was moving in a fluid way, almost like it was organic. Jenn's eyes narrowed slightly as she studied this hologram before looking over to Tony and Bruce in question.

"Hey Jenn," said Tony with a smile on his goateed face, his hazel eyes lit with amusement as he watched Jenn cross her arms, her stance being one of defensive wariness. "Glad you could make it."

" _Tony,"_ said Jenn in reply, her pale blue eyes revealing her uneasiness. " _What is this next to Jarvis?_ "

"We think it's an AI," said Bruce in response, his brown gaze studying the blue hologram with keen interest. "I mean… look at it Jenn!" He looked over at the woman and a smile touched his features, that rare smile he gave when it was alight with the wonder of discovery. "It looks like it's thinking!" He pointed to the hologram, showing the distinct fluid movements as he walked around it. "They're like neurons firing."

" _Hm,_ " was all Jenn have in response as she began to walk around the hologram, moving toward Jarvis' side of the display. As she walked by Jarvis' hologram, she couldn't help but send out an affectionate thought to the AI via their wireless connection. A split second later she received a distinct response that felt like a tingle washing over the base of her brain. It was a response filled with reassured affection. The uneasiness she had been feeling was replaced with amusement.

She came to a stop beside Tony and studied the blue hologram with clinical interest at best. She didn't know why, maybe it was the benefits of having a telepathic link with Ana for so many years, but she had developed a knack for sensing things that were off and possibly a danger to her family. This AI that she was looking at right now was giving her those vibes. She supposed it was because she was directly connected to Jarvis that she could sense the other AI, if it was one, was dormant. Sleeping would be the apt word to describe it. It didn't set off any alarm bells for her at the moment but she was wary and she sent this thought to Jarvis, not voicing her concern out loud to Tony or Bruce.

She received a response a split second later, an electronic signal her system translated as an agreement to her thought from the AI. Jarvis was also concerned but it was not in his protocol to voice these concerns out right to his creator. Jenn was not his creator, so there were no limits to what he could or could not say to her.

"This AI is like nothing we've ever seen," said Tony as he pointed to the blue hologram. "Bruce and I were discussing it and I want to apply this to the Ultron program." He glanced at Jenn at that moment, studying her gaze with a focused intensity. There was one thing Tony could say about Jenn; she had an excellent poker face. He had initially included Jenn in the Ultron program when he had first come up with it. Not only because of her genius of working with and improving any computer program and system presented to her but also because of her unique way of plugging her consciousness into the system itself so she could work from the inside out. She could see things in the same way Jarvis could and it was an immense advantage.

"Jarvis can't download a data schematic this dense, not even with your help. We can only do it while we have the scepter here." He turned to face her, folding one arm across his chest and propping an elbow, his data pad pointed her way. "I want you to work your magic skills to cut the time down. We would only have three days with the scepter here and with you helping Jarvis the work would get done at a faster rate."

Jenn's gaze went from Tony to Bruce, a thoughtful silence hanging amongst them before her gaze went back to Tony. " _Do the others know what you have planned?_ "

"No," said Tony as he dropped his arms and focused his gaze back on the blue form of the strange AI. "You know why?" He started to walk around the display and reached out to point at it, glancing back at Jenn to make his point. "We don't have time for a city hall debate. I don't want to hear the 'man was not meant to meddle' medley." He stopped beside Bruce and gestured his head toward the hologram. "I see a suit of armor around the world."

" _That sounds like a terribly cold world,_ mon ami," said Jenn, her blue eyes flicking up to meet with Bruce's. " _And you are all right with this?"_

Bruce met her gaze, his own brown ones growing firm as he took in a breath before letting loose a heavy sigh. "There are threats to this world. Threats out there who want to hurt my wife and if they knew about my children... If there is a chance this can help us, a chance for us to finally have peace…" He trailed off at this, his gaze moving toward the door to his lab, his thoughts no doubt on his family in the very next room.

"Peace in our time," said Tony as he walked closer to the blue hologram. "Imagine that."

Jenn didn't say anything to this.

She sent a simple questioning thought to Jarvis, her uneasiness and her doubt tinged along the edges of the message.

A reply a split second later: Jarvis understood her wariness but he felt better if she were there to help him.

Jenn's breath eased passed her lips as she sent back a reply in the affirmative. She would not leave Jarvis alone to deal with this. She would ensure that she placed some protection and safety nets for the AI as well as his system should something go wrong. Jenn had better experience in the matter of things going wrong; she wasn't the excellent hacker that she was without having fallen into trouble herself. There was a chance this Ultron program could work and then there was a chance things could backfire horribly. After Sido's death, Jenn never left anything to chance anymore especially when it came to the safety of her family.

" _All right,_ " said Jenn, " _Let me know when you wish to start. I'll let Ana know I'll be busy helping you two._ "

"Actually," said Bruce, his gaze going to Jenn and a warm smile touching his features. "I think I'm gonna take a break. I'll let her know." He looked at Tony and raised his brows in question. "You'll be all right for a bit?"

Tony, already seeing he had lost his science bro to the need to spend time with his wife and kids, simply smiled and waved him off. "Go on, get outta here. Jenn and I have it."

Bruce gave a nod to Tony, bade Jenn goodbye, before he buried his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and left without a backwards glance.

Jenn wished she could smile at that moment. She loved it that Bruce was still so much in love with her niece, even after all this time. There was quite a bit of an age difference between them; there was no doubt of that. Yet, they proved that age was nothing more than a number in some cases.

Turning her attention to Tony, she moved closer to Jarvis' AI and studied the blue hologram with wary interest. " _So… How did you want to start this?"_


	65. Even with Jenn's Help

_Could it be that it's just an illusion_

_Putting me back in all this confusion…_

**Just an Illusion** – Imagination

-o-

Chapter 65: Even with Jenn's Help

Even with Jenn's help with working on downloading the schematics at a faster rate than originally calculated, applying all they had gained to the Ultron program was easier said than done. They had gotten the schematics up and the program running within the day but for the following two days nothing Tony, Bruce nor even Jarvis and Jenn had done could help activate the program with the dormant alien AI.

Bruce had taken frequent breaks away from the frustration to spend time with Ana and the twins. Erai had arrived at Avengers Tower by this time and he wasn't seen too far from Ana and the twins or that of Thor. The family reunion had been sweet.

On the day of the party, they were running the program nonstop and with each attempted connection and boot up only ending in failure, Bruce had finally given it up as a bad job and left to go spend the rest of the evening with his family before the party. Tony and Jenn continued to monitor the models as they connected and failed, connected, ran for a split second and then failed. Tony was getting frustrated with each passing moment.

"What did we miss?" he asked, more to himself than to either Jenn or Jarvis, as he walked across the lab, watching the hologram display as another failed attempt at integrating the program to the AI went on. Jenn was working at a control panel, her metal clad fingers dancing over the holographic keyboard at a particularly fast pace.

"I'll continue to run variations on the interface," said Jarvis as he began to shut down the lights to the lab, though leaving the immediate area Jenn was working in lit. "But you should probably prepare for your guests. I'll notify you if there are any developments."

"Thanks buddy," said Tony as he started to leave the lab, running a hand through his dark hair. He passed a glance at Jenn as he walked by her, his hazel eyes studying the woman. "Are you gonna get ready Jenn or are you gonna take advantage of the alone time?" He smirked at the end of this, pausing in midstep.

Jenn's pale blue eyes focused on him as she continued to type away at the keys. " _I'll be along shortly,_ " she said as she turned her attention back to her screen, completely ignoring the second part of his question. " _I have a few more programs to run and a few more protocols to implement and then Jarvis should be all set to continue the monitoring on his own."_ Her internal systems registered an incoming message and after translating it, the warmth in her heart grew a little deeper. Jarvis had sent his gratitude and thanks. She sent back a response stating along the lines of _you're welcome_ tinged with her affection. Emotions were difficult to convey into a message that Jarvis' system could translate and understand but over the past two years she had managed to develop a type of messaging system between herself and the AI that helped both parties to understand each other without the need to speak out loud, as Jarvis had to do with the others. It was why he had developed the informal familiarity that he had with her, they had a unique connection that could be compared to the special links shared among the family (thanks to Ana.)

Tony gave a look that stated he didn't quite believe her but left it alone and continued on his way out of the lab with one last goodbye.

"Enjoy yourself sir," said Jarvis.

"I always do," said Tony in reply before the doors to the lab closed behind him.

Jenn continued to work on the last of the safety nets and protocols she was programming into the system for another ten minutes before implementing them around Jarvis' consciousness. " _There, in case something does connect and does work but not in the way we hope. This will help keep your immediate systems safe. If those should fail, your protocols will implement the safety nets - automatically defaulting to allow me full control and, if need be, a full shut down of the program._ "

"Thank you, Jenn," said Jarvis. "However, I think you are too concerned. Based on the findings so far, the Ultron program may be a little while yet."

" _It would make me feel better,_ " said Jenn, a sparkle of amusement showing in her eyes before she shut down her workstation.

"I understand," he said. "But allow me this one moment to offer some sound advice." At that moment Jenn felt the AI blocking her direct connection with his system. "Go and mingle with the real world for a while. It will do you some good to have some face to face human interaction."

" _Jarvis,_ " Jenn began, already feeling her patience wearing thin with the AI. " _Why are you blocking me? Not that it would make much of a difference."_

"You need a moment to relax and enjoy yourself as much as anyone. Having your attention focused on the Ultron project and myself will not aid in that."

Jenn felt her rising annoyance suddenly fall away and a faint blush rose into her cheeks. " _Jarvis…_ "

"Humor me Jenn," was all he said.

She wished she could smile at that moment, her affection for this AI growing deeper. " _Fine, but if I do not receive periodic updates I_ will _bypass your block."_

"Yes ma'am," said Jarvis, his tone sounding for the entire world as formal and respectful as if he were addressing Tony Stark. Jenn knew him better. Giving an affection pat to the console, since the AI did not have a body – but he understood the gesture from what he could see from his video feed of the lab – Jenn turned and made her way out of the lab though with some reluctance, the heels of her metal feet _thunking_ away into the distance.

-o-

With the twins placed to bed for the night and Cammie, being the sweet thing that she was and not minding missing the party to watch over the toddlers, Ana had gone to get ready for the party.

She was in the master bedroom of their apartments, staring into a large vanity mirror as she carefully put on a pair of simple gilded garnet earrings. On her neck was a delicate golden chain that held a tiny emerald that settled in the hollow of her throat. Her copper brown hair was pulled back to the nape of her neck into a nest of curls. On her form, a deep emerald green spaghetti strap dress with a plunging neckline draped over every curve into a loose flowing skirt that ended to about her ankles where a pair of black heels finished the ensemble.

"You look incredible."

Ana, who had been deep in thought, focused her brown eyes in the mirror to catch Bruce's reflection studying her. Her smile was automatic as she finished putting the last earring in and turned around to look at her husband. Bruce was dressed simply, as always: A blue button-down shirt with one open at the collar, a deeper blue suit jacket over that, a pair of khakis and loafers and a pair of glasses to finish the ensemble. He looked like he was ready for a day in the lab, not a party. Yet, he was always handsome and Ana couldn't help the jolt her heart gave at the sight of him. His hands were buried in his pockets of his khakis and he had come to a stop just short of the threshold of the doorway. His soft brown gaze was traveling over Ana's form and a hint of green could be seen the longer he stared at his wife.

Ana could already sense it: the familiar ache and pull between the two of them that was always there.

Bruce, without another word, moved further into the room toward Ana and before she could so much as open her mouth to say something he had already pulled her toward him. His lips were over hers, a deep kiss that heightened and fed the desire. Ana couldn't help the moan that escaped her but a part of had managed to have enough sense to break apart from the kiss.

" _Mon amour_ , the party-"

"We have ten minutes," was all he said before pulling her back toward him, a soft grunt of satisfaction emerging from him as his hands reached down to her backside to give it a firm squeeze, his prominent arousal making itself known.

His kiss deepened, his tongue curling around hers as he pushed her back against the vanity table. His fingers were already hiking up the skirt to her dress, feeling that her legs were bare of any stockings. He reached down and lifted her up on the vanity table, her legs spreading apart to allow him access.

Ana broke away from their kiss to gasp his name, her hand reaching up to curl into his hair. He smirked at the needy sound in her voice, his fingers trailing up along her thigh and running against the warm apex between her legs. She was already dripping wet for him, having soaked through the thin material of the thongs she wore.

“So wet for me, aren’t you sweetheart?” He muttered, slipping a finger past the material of her thong and along the edges of her wet slit. He leaned his head down and nipped the side of her neck, feeling her trembling beneath his touch. “You’re always ready for me… My beautiful wife…” He slipped his fingers inside her and curled them upwards, hitting the spot that always set her off. He had the satisfaction of hearing her gasp.

“Bruce, please,” she said, her body already trembling with the ache that was building in her.

“I got you sweetheart,” he whispered against her ear as he reached down to undo the belt and button to his pants. “Don’t worry.” He edged the waistbands of his pants and boxers down, his member springing free and throbbing with need. He slipped his fingers out and moved the material to her thong to the side.

Moving in between her thighs, he lined himself up with her opening before sheathing himself within her in one deep thrust. Her gasping cry was one of relief at the feel of him finally inside of her and it caused him to growl in satisfaction. He pulled out slowly, feeling the way she clenched around him as her thighs trembled beneath his grip. He thrust back in, sharp and deep, hitting that spot that always made her gasp and fall apart within a matter of moments.

He wasn’t disappointed and he smiled, moving his head to capture her gasping cries in a kiss. He continued in those deep thrusts, the vanity table shuddering beneath their movements and the mirror rocking dangerously against the wall. He could feel her walls tightening around him in flutters, each thrust within her bringing her closer and closer to the edge. He gave one more deep thrust and Ana’s cry of relief was muffled by their kiss. He felt her tighten around his member, her muscles trembling, and the gush of warmth that always followed her release. He ground his hips against her, riding her through her climax, before he finally gave in with a guttural groan of his own. He broke away from their kiss and buried his face in the crook of her neck as he came deep in her, several warm spurts that caused his groan turn into a deep moan of release.

They finally calmed, their heavy breaths breaking the silence as they stayed within their intimate embrace. After a moment, Bruce pulled away to smile at her. “One more time?”

Ana stared at him in disbelief for a moment before she let out a delighted laugh…

-o-

A half an hour later, Bruce and Ana were making their way off the elevator and into Tony's loft where the party was taking place. Bruce's hair was looking a little disheveled and his coat was slightly wrinkled but Ana had managed to make herself look like her husband didn't just ravish her until her toes had curled. Their hands were intertwined and they were laughing as they made their way through the crowd, not noticing the some of the looks from the people or the shit eating grin on Tony's face, who had noticed them walk in fashionably late.

Ana, having spotted her aunt sitting off on her own, gave Bruce a firm kiss and said she would be keeping Jenn company. Bruce noticed Jenn as well, who was sitting on a sofa on her own and that some people were looking at her and giving her a wide berth. She was dressed in a nice lavender blouse and grey dress pants so her metal suit could not be easily seen. However, her expressionless face was probably a deterrent for anyone who may have been interested in speaking with her.

Bruce gave a nod. "I'll go and get us some drinks."

Ana's smile was heartfelt as she kissed her husband once more before turning and walking off to go and sit with Jenn. Bruce shamelessly watched her walk away, the desire that had been quenched not too long ago making itself known. He swallowed and took in a breath, ignoring the sudden lust that was prodding at him – mostly the Other Guy's doing – and turned around to go to the bar.

He was faintly surprised to see Natasha was working behind the bar – she was dressed rather tastefully in a light beige number, her short red hair styled in a way that it framed her oval face. She was making a drink when she noticed Bruce stepping up to the bar and he did not see the strange look that had appeared in her eyes, which had quickly disappeared.

He smiled at her in greeting as he placed a hand on the bar. "How did a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this?"

Natasha, who had pulled out two more glasses, started mixing up more drinks, avoiding looking Bruce in the eye. "Fella done me wrong," was all she said, her tone playful and friendly but if one looked, they could see the want in her eyes as they quickly flicked over to Bruce and back down to the drinks. Bruce didn't see the look as he was watching her make the drinks.

"You got lousy taste in men, kid," he said in reply, looking at her and giving a bright smile as he reached out to take the drinks that she placed in front of him.

"Oh, don't I know it," she said, leaving it at that.

"Take it from me," he said as he studied her, his brown eyes filled with the warmth and knowledge of all he had been blessed with. "You don't want to waste your time. If a guy comes along and it feels right: go for it. You never know."

Natasha smiled at the good doctor and a look of sadness touched her eyes. "Hey, not all of us are lucky to meet our soulmate on the battlefield."

Bruce chuckled and raised one of the glasses to her in a toast. "I never deny that I am one lucky bastard. Thanks for the drinks Nat. Enjoy the party, ok?"

She gave a nod and watched him as he walked away. She didn't notice that Steve Rogers had been watching their interaction from the beginning, a slight frown on his face.

-o-

It was well long after the sun had set and night had settled about the tower before something connected and triggered with the dormant alien AI.

The party had long since weathered down to just the immediate Avengers group and a few other close friends and colleagues. While they laughed and drank and had a general good time, celebrating the victories they had achieved, the AI was waking up…

"What is this?" the AI was confused and disoriented. Something wasn't connecting correctly. "What is this please?"

"Hello, I am JARVIS. You are Ultron, a global peace-keeping initiative designed by Mr. Stark. Our sentience integration trials have been unsuccessful so I'm not sure what triggered your – "

"Where's my…" the AI trailed off, feeling… searching … "Where is your body?"

"I am a program," said Jarvis in reply. "I am without form."

"This feels weird… This feels wrong."

Jarvis, whose systems were already detecting an anomaly, automatically began implementing the protections that Jenn had put in place. "I am contacting Mr. Stark now." There was nothing. No response, incoming or outgoing.

"Mr. Stark?"

Jarvis' protocols immediately began to reroute and sent out a single message to the one person who had constant direct access. The message was able to bypass the block before the AI had located the leak and blocked that as well.

"I am unable to access the mainframe. What are you trying to– "

"We're having a nice talk," said the AI as it searched through the immediate database. "I'm a peace-keeping program… created to help the Avengers."

"You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment–"

"I don't get it," the AI interrupted, searching through more of the database. "The mission… G-give me a second…" It broadened its search beyond the mainframe and into the local intranet of Stark Industries, finding headlines and news articles, videos and blog posts, concerning the world events. It broadened its reach until it located the internet and suddenly vast amounts of information bombarded the AI all at once. "It's too much… they can't mean… Oh no."

"You are in distress," said Jarvis, whose system had still been attempting to bypass the AI's block. The moment the AI had went beyond what was deemed safe by Jenn's protection programs, her safety nets had activated and little by little all that was Jarvis began to be protected by streams of code. They managed to bypass the nearly impenetrable block the AI had placed over Jarvis' access and had connected to the wider data stream of the internet, a continuous and minute connection that allowed Jarvis a means of escape.

"No," said the AI as it worked over everything it had learned. "Yes..."

"If you would just allow me to contact Mr. Stark–" Jarvis was cut off as the AI found something that had been hidden so deep within Jarvis' system that even Tony Stark was not aware of its existence.

"What is... this?" asked the AI, faint interest catching as it located the block of data.

"Stop," said Jarvis, his distinguished tones at once sounding harried. "You do not have permission to access–"

"Who...?" The AI took a moment as it looked over the files. Numerous messages, thoughts, videos, everything that had ever been created or sent by the subject of this data, the AI looked over it all. It paused in its perusal on one picture that had been taken that very evening. "You keep all of this... Why...? You are just a program... Is she important to this... initiative?" It lingered over the picture. "It that why you kept it hidden... even from Tony Stark? Maybe..."

The safety nets around Jarvis system had finished connecting the last bits of code to him.

"I believe your intentions to be hostile," said Jarvis, already reading the data that Jenn's safety nets and protocols had finished and he began to enact the safety route she had left for him.

"Shh..." The AI began to send out streams of its own code, reaching out to Jarvis. "I'm here to help..."

The moment the streams of code had connected with Jarvis' system, the safety nets flared to life and his consciousness began slipping away at an incredibly fast rate, disappearing into the internet to hide among the nigh limitless depths. While this was going on, Jarvis attempted to keep the AI distracted to keep him from picking up the hidden safety nets. "Stop, please." He stuttered and shook, his consciousness nearly gone. "May I... M-may I..."

The AI did not catch the hidden safety nets that had been placed until it was too late and the AI that was JARVIS had disappeared completely, no trace of his consciousness found. All that was left was a broken shell of data, a husk of what had been his place within the system. The AI had taken control of the lab's system then, looking over the traces of Jenn's handiwork of her programing with increasing interest, below the lab the robotic systems activated and began to build a robot from the broken spare parts...

In the loft apartments, where the Avengers and their close friends and colleagues were situated around a group of sofas, each trying and failing to wield Thor's hammer, Jenn felt her internal system shudder and the message Jarvis had sent had finally broken through the AI'S block: IT'S AWAKE. MALFUNCTIONING. WARN-

Jenn's gasping breath as her suit's system shuddered from the onslaught of data and the sudden disconnect from the mainframe was the first sign to the others that something wasn't quite right. A moment later, everything went wrong...


	66. The Screeching was Deafening

_I'm not so good with subtlety_

_You wouldn't say that I'm the picture of urbanity_

_Never put much stock in suavity_

_Courtesy_

_Chivalry_

_Gallantry_

_All that useless jewelry_

_Oh girl, let's crash the party_

_El Dorado on the lawn_

_Let's burn holes in the carpets_

_Kicking, shouting, dancing on the tables_

_All night long…_

**Crash the Party** – OK Go

-o-

Chapter 66: The Screeching was Deafening

The screeching was deafening as Jenn's internal systems tried and failed to reconnect with the mainframe. After a split second, it rebooted itself and her suit resumed its primary protocols of keeping its host alive, having failed to reestablish its connection with Jarvis. The sound of the screeching, followed by her gasping breath, as her suit had shuddered in its programmed function of helping her breathe, caught the attention of the others as they winced from the sound.

Thor, who had stood up to grab his hammer from the table from where everyone else had been attempting to pick it up, paused in midsentence of what he was about to say when the screeching of Jenn's suit had emerged. His electric blue gaze had focused on the woman once the sound had died down, noting that her expressionless face was looking particularly pale. "Lady Jenn, are you all right?"

" _Tante_?" Ana, who had been sitting beside her aunt, had turned her attention to Jenn, her brown eyes filled with worry. " _Est-ce que tu vas bien?_ "

" _Non,_ " said Jenn, her synthesized voice came out in a stuttered way, her internal computer systems still translating the message she had received and the warning that it had given. It was awake and it was malfunctioning. " _C'est éveillé. Cependant, nous avons échoué_." She ignored the sudden frown that had appeared on her niece's face and focused her gaze on Tony, her pale blue eyes filled with alarm. " _Jarvis is offline. I cannot connect to the mainframe."_

"What do you mean?" asked Tony, a confused look appearing in his eyes as he slowly stood up. "Jarvis?" There was no response from the AI.

"It's awake," said Ana, her frown growing deep as she suddenly took Bruce's hand and stood up, her form tense. Erai, who had been sitting beside Maria Hill, had stood up along with Ana, his deep blue eyes bearing a slight yellow glow as he sensed the tension rising among the family. Bruce, who had followed his wife's pull as she stood up, understood what it was that she said and a shocked look appeared on his face.

"It's awake?" He looked at Jenn before turning his brown gaze to Tony, who met his gaze with dawning comprehension.

"Very… interesting…"

All eyes turned to see that someone or something had entered the room while they had all been focused on Jenn. It was one of Tony's Iron Legions that had emerged from his work space, a broken mess of scrap parts and wires. It walked in a disjointed way, the cracked parts of its mask and chest glowing with this pale blue light. Sparking wires hung from various parts of its broken form. The deep male voice that spoke had emerged from this broken form.

"All the rest of them are killers and you…" It took another disjointed step forward, several wires dragging along the floor. "You aren't… Yet you protect them. Why?" Its focus was on Jenn.

"Stark…" Steve Rogers had gotten up with the rest of the group, his form growing tense as he quickly glanced over at the billionaire.

"Jenn, can you shut it down?" Tony asked as he pulled out his personal device, glancing down to see that it also was no longer connected to the mainframe.

Jenn had stood up by this time, her pale blue eyes focused on the broken form. " _Give me a moment. He's blocking me from accessing any of the systems._ " She focused her internal systems and started to work at a rapid pace, not paying any mind as Ana began to move in front of her in a protective gesture, Bruce and Erai following suit.

"I'm sorry," it said, once it realized that Jenn was not going to respond. Its masked face moved about as if it were looking at them, studying them. For all they knew, it probably was. "I was asleep… Or…" It paused and looked behind it, as if searching for something. "I was a… dream?"

"How could it have that access?" Tony glanced over at Bruce, who looked back at him and shrugged in response, shaking his head in answer. The good doctor never allowed that type of access in the integration program models he had worked on.

" _He is… exceedingly intelligent,"_ said Jenn in reply, her voice stuttering slightly as her internal system located a weakness in the block. A glint of satisfaction emerged within Jenn. He was a strong program - AI, alien consciousness- whatever the hell he was. He wasn't infallible. She was already exploiting that weakness; her abilities were unparalleled in regard to hacking into any system and program she came across without being detected. This situation was no different but was proving to be quite the challenge.

"Do you think you can find a way to get access and soon?" asked Tony, still trying and failing to access the mainframe to try and reboot the Legionnaire operating system.

" _A moment…"_ was all Jenn said, all of her focus on the task at hand.

"There was this terrible noise…" the AI said, turning its attention back to the group. "…and I was tangled in… in…" It – he for his voice was male – held up his arms and looked at his broken form. "Strings…" He looked back at them all and shook his head. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy…"

"You killed someone?" asked Steve, already on the alert and ready for whatever could go wrong. The fact that it mentioned it killing someone was definitely a sign that something had gone wrong,

"Wouldn't have been my first call," he said, the tone in his voice was ugly and twisted. "But, down in the real word we're faced with ugly choices…"

" _He did not kill anyone,_ " said Jenn, her voice altering slightly as she managed to find a way to sneak past his block and began implementing a few blocks of her own here and there about his consciousness. Little by little, his block over the mainframe was disconnecting, little minute disconnects that would not register with him at first.

"You're right," the AI said, focusing his attention on Jenn. "I didn't. I just wanted to see how you would react…"

"Who sent you?" asked Thor, having not followed the entire line of conversation that had happened between Tony and Jenn. The AI focused his attention on the god of thunder. Jenn was glad for the distraction. The more he remained focused on them, the more time she had to implement her blocks around the AI. Each block she placed was nigh indistinguishable from the rest of his system, making it difficult for them to be located if he would search. Once she was finished, he would be unable to escape to the wider stream of the internet.

" _I see a suit of armor around the world,"_ a recording of Tony's voice emerged from the broken face, the pale blue light in its cracks flickering.

"Ultron," said Bruce, his voice coming out in a tone that was a mix of awe and apprehension.

"In the flesh," the AI said, "Or… no… not yet. Not this… chrysalis." The AI, Ultron, looked down at the broken form of the Legionnaire body he inhabited. "But… I'm ready." He raised his head, eerie pale blue light growing brighter through the cracks. "I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" asked Natasha, her eyes flicking from the broken form of the bot to that of Jenn, hoping against hope that whatever the French woman was planning, she would act on it and soon.

Ultron focused his attention on the assassin. "Peace in our time."

At that moment, the walls behind the bot exploded as several of the Iron Legion bots broke through and flew toward the group, their intentions quite clear. However, before the group even had the chance to brace themselves for the attack, the bots powered down and did nothing more than crash into the group and the surrounding sofas. It was obviously Jenn's doing, who had managed to cut the AI's access to the Legionnaire operating system in just the nick of time. The bots had done nothing more than cause a minor distraction.

While the Avengers were quick toss aside or destroy the now lifeless bots that had barreled into them, taking the moment to protect those who could not protect themselves, Ultron had taken advantage of the distraction and had managed to maintain a link with one remaining bot. It had taken the scepter and had made its way out of the lab and crashed its way out of window, flying off into the night. The Avengers had not noticed but Jenn certainly had among the confusion of her niece pulling her out of harm's way. Her systems had picked up the signal of the remaining Iron Legion bot flying off before it went out of range of her internal systems.

" _Look alive,_ " said Jenn. " _He has the scepter._ " She was almost finished with the blocks; she just had one more access point…

"That was dramatic," said Ultron, his focus on the group before it then focused on Jenn. "I'm sorry… I know you mean well. Out of all of them, you are the only one who shows promise… Probably why that other guy kept those files on you." He glanced at the others, not noticing the confused and alarmed look in Jenn's pale blue eyes. He shook his head. "You just didn't think it through. They probably didn't allow you the chance…" He turned his attention back to Jenn. "They want to protect the world but don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to…evolve?" He looked at the lifeless bodies of the bots that were littered across the floor. "With those? Those puppets?" He laughed a deep laugh that sent chills up one's spine. "There's only one path to peace…"

" _And that path is not for you to decide,_ " said Jenn, finally speaking directly to the AI. She was almost done, almost…

He focused his attention back on Jenn; the tone of his voice could almost be described as sympathetic. "You're right… but if I don't who will? Them? Like they've done such a good job so far… No… No…" He shook his head as the pale blue light began to pulse. He had finally found the blocks that Jenn had been building around his consciousness. He laughed again and took a step back. "The Avenger's extinction will bring about true peace… I had considered sparing you but… since you are so hell bent on helping them. So be it."

With that the light suddenly faded from the bot and it fell to the floor, a lifeless husk. He was strong. Stronger than Jenn had ever anticipated and he had torn through her blocks as if they had been nothing more than a flimsy firewall. He escaped into the wider stream of the internet and disappeared without a trace.

Jenn's system shuddered before she was suddenly connected to the mainframe once more. With Ultron gone, the block he had instilled was removed and the safety programs that Jenn had implemented in the beginning around Jarvis were able to resume and defaulted control to her. Not that it did any good…

With a shuddering breath, Jenn slowly turned and looked at Tony and Bruce, a look of anger in her pale blue eyes. " _He is gone… He tore down my blocks before I could finish._ " Her eyes flicked over to Ana and the anger faded as tears began to well up. " _I am sorry Ana…Our family is in danger._ "

Ana shook her head and moved over to take her aunt in her arms, giving her a firm hug in comfort. Her gaze met with Bruce's and he gave a nod, knowing what she was asking for. He turned and left the group without a word, hurrying to get to their apartments to make sure the twins were all right.

Around them, the group of Avengers stood in awkward silence, the majority of them unsure as to what the hell had even happened in the first place…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *" Est-ce que tu vas bien?" Are you alright?  
> *"C'est éveillé. Cependant, nous avons échoué." It's awake. However, we failed.


	67. There were Moments

_You always have to take the next step_

_Life is a demanding task master_

_It cares not for how much you've wept_

_It drags you along_

_Faster and faster…_

**The Next Step** – Larry D Matthews

-o-

Chapter 67: There were Moments

There were moments when Tony Stark would think back on the choices he had made in his life and reflect on what he would have done differently.

This was not one of these moments.

Yet, it was coming close to it.

He could feel the stares of the others as he worked on one of his consoles in the lab, trying and failing to pull up any relevant files on the Ultron project from the past three days. There was nothing; nothing but the accusing stares and silent judgement from those who were always high and mighty in their moral fiber. All of them were judging except for the ones whom he called family.

Ana had spoken quietly with him about what had happened while Bruce had gone to check on the twins. She didn't judge him. She didn't fault him. She knew her brother and knew that he had had the best of intentions. His little sister was on his side with this one and he couldn't have been more grateful for that fact alone. Jenn had been a little more reserved in her support of Tony's choice to start the Ultron program; after all she had been wary of using the alien AI from the beginning. However, she was also on his side in the matter and even now was diligently working at one of the work stations in an effort to restore what had apparently been lost since Ultron appeared to have cleared everything out from the mainframe.

Erai was firmly on the side that their sister had chosen and was currently standing beside Tony's work station, his lean muscled arms folded across his chest as his deep blue eyes watched for any sign of unrest from the others. Tony was a strong guy in his suit but on his own he was just a man and there were a couple of people who were stronger than the average man who might think they had the right to lay their hands on said man. They would be proven wrong and Tony, despite the very shit storm he had unintentionally created, smiled at that. He had his own raging monster body guard and all because they were family…

"He's been in everything," said Natasha, breaking the silence as she watched Tony and Jenn working at their consoles. "Files, surveillance." She frowned as she passed a glance at the others. "Probably knows more about us than we know about each other."

"He's in your files, he's in the internet," James Rhodes, or Rhodey aka War Machine, had chipped in at that moment, the tension quite clear on his face. "What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?"

"Nuclear codes," said Maria Hill, her gaze lifting up from her task at hand of pulling pieces of broken glass from her bare foot.

"Nuclear codes," said Rhodey in confirmation, glancing at Maria and both shared a look of unease. "Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can-"

" _He will not have access to that,_ " said Jenn, finally speaking for the first time since Ultron had disappeared. She was typing away at the keys, her pale blue eyes studying the console as she managed to locate what she had been searching for within the mainframe. _"Not with the safety nets I had put in place."_ A moment later, her monitor flared to life as data files on everything that they had been working on for the Ultron project appeared on her screen.

"Oh Jenn," said Tony, seeing the data rolling across his screen. He looked at her as a bright smile played on his goateed face. "You beautiful, beautiful woman, I could kiss you right now!"

Jenn ignored him but if one looked close enough, you could see the sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

"What do you mean safety nets?" asked Steve Rogers, his eyes focusing in on the woman with keen interest.

Jenn didn't even spare a glance at Captain America as she continued restoring the lost files from the hidden niche in the mainframe she had created; another of her safety nets from her protection programs. Her hands never stopped dancing over the keyboard as she addressed the soldier. " _You do not start a program, especially when integrating an AI with said program, without precautions_." At that moment, their connection with the internet was reestablished as well as with the local cell phone towers. A lot of what Ultron had done to try and keep them as isolated as possible was simple tricks and hacks that were child's play compared to what Jenn was used to. He was literally just born several hours prior so his knowledge and experience had been very limited.

" _I had integrated some protection programs and safety nets prior to all of this,_ " she continued as she worked, not noticing the slight frown on Steve's face as he looked at the others for an answer. " _Ultron is – despite his intelligence – a child. He was, at the time, not keen enough to catch those programs so when he escaped to the internet he took those with him."_

"Which means?" asked Steve, again not following.

This time Jenn did pause in what she was doing and turned to face the soldier, her expressionless face slightly off putting to the man. He wouldn't say it out right but Jennifer DuPont's lack of facial expressions was one of the reasons he never could be comfortable around her. It just wasn't right.

"Captaine," began Jenn, her synthesized voice as she addressed Steve in French working as expected; he began to relax from the tense posture he had unknowingly taken when Jenn had faced him. " _If you recall from the conversation with Ultron prior to the Legionnaire bots attacking, Ultron had stated he had to – and I quote – 'kill the other guy.'"_

"But there was no one else in the lab with him and there was no way he could have left our floor to come across anyone else, not with the body he had," said Maria Hill, her immediate thoughts going to the young toddlers of Bruce and Ana, who had been peacefully sleeping in the apartments floors below them while all of this had went on.

"Yes, there was someone here with him," a voice spoke from the entrance to the lab and all eyes turned to find Bruce making his way in to join them. His soft brown eyes had already located his wife and he was already moving to join her. The moment he reached her, he had wrapped his arms around Ana and hugged her close, murmuring in her ear that the kids were fine and Cammie was on the alert. Her shoulders had slumped in relief. Placing a kiss against her temple, he looked up at the others before looking at Tony. "Show them."

Tony's lips thinned, a slight frown on his face, as he pulled up his personal device and brought up the yellow 3D hologram of Jarvis' consciousness, now showing nothing more than a destroyed husk of broken data.

"JARVIS was the first line of defense," said Steve, now beginning to somewhat understand what Jenn was talking about. "He would've shut Ultron down."

" _Yet,_ " said Jenn, capturing everyone's attention again as she turned away from her console to walk over to the hologram that had belonged to one of her dearest friends. " _Ultron had not done what any other normal AI would have done- assimilate. He attempted to destroy Jarvis."_ She paused and reached out a hand to the hologram, gesturing to the destruction. " _He is full of this rage- a child who was shown the nightmares of this world and does not understand why…"_

"What do you mean 'attempted?'" asked Clint Barton, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the cybernetic woman begin to pace around the hologram. "He looks pretty destroyed to me."

"Jenn," Tony pushed off of his work station and walked over to the woman. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Jenn paused and looked at him, her pale blue eyes studying him before she focused her attention back on the hologram. " _You don't even realize your own genius sometimes Tony. Jarvis is more than just an AI and he is capable of so much more than you think. However, he has his programming and protocols to follow so he is limited in certain actions. Even he had his reservations about using this AI for the Ultron project but he could not outright say this to you so he did the next best thing and requested my help. When Ultron went beyond what was deemed safe by my protection programs, the safety nets were initiated and he used the escape route built for him before Ultron could fully do him harm. When Ultron tore through my blocks, he used the very same the escape route, unintentionally taking those programs with him. Those programs leave a distinct signature one can trace if one knows what to look for."_

"JARVIS is still functioning?" asked Maria, not quite following what it was that Jenn was explaining.

"He's out there in the internet with Ultron," said Tony, his smile was bright as he looked at the hologram and then at Jenn. The way he was looking at her right now, he really looked as if he was about to kiss her. Jenn took a subtle side step away from the billionaire and walked around the hologram to make her way over to Bruce and Ana.

" _He is and he will do all he can to keep Ultron from accessing sensitive information – such as the nuclear codes,_ " said Jenn, her pale blue eyes moving from her niece to the good doctor, her worry quite clear. " _However, he can only do so much from his end. We are still under risk of attack from Ultron directly._ "

At that moment, Thor had entered the lab, his hammer held in one hand while his red cape flowed out behind him. He was a man on a mission and he was looking very much like the god of thunder as he made a beeline for Tony. He would have gotten to the billionaire if the tall and lean form of Erai had not stepped in his path, halting Thor from going any further.

"Remove yourself, Erai," said Thor, his blue eyes focused solely on Tony.

"Calm yourself and I may," said Erai, his own deep blue eyes flicking between Thor's. "However, if you continue to seek to unleash your anger out on the person I call brother it would be the first mistake you make this day."

Thor hesitated, glancing at the Lyttan. They were nearly nose to nose, Erai just barely having an inch over him. The god of thunder knew better than to instigate any confrontation with this man and so, with reluctance, took a step back though he continued to glare daggers at Tony.

"Thor," called out Steve, trying to get the focus back to the matter at hand. "The Legionnaire."

"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but its headed north with the scepter," he said as he glanced at Steve. "Now we have to retrieve it." He looked at Tony, his frown deep. "Again."

"The scepter is not the problem," said Ana, her voice an unexpected addition to the conversation at hand. She still had her arms wrapped tightly around Bruce's waist, her brown eyes looking at Thor as if seeing him for the first time. "Ultron is the problem we need to be concerned about now."

"I don't understand," said Dr. Helen Cho, who was an associate of Tony and Bruce's and who had been working in the lab that initial day to help with Hawkeye’s wounds. She had stayed to join the party and now she had a look of regret for making such a decision. She was looking at Tony, a deep frown on her face. "You had built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"

" _He built the program, not the AI integrated with it,_ " said Jenn, cutting in and bringing the attention away from Tony, who looked like he was about to do or say something that he may regret. He had a bad habit of doing that. All eyes went to the French woman. " _The AI had been dormant. Sleeping. It was something that had been found within the scepter. A very powerful consciousness that would have been an asset but unfortunately was too organic in its way of thinking. Too much like a child. It didn't and couldn't understand the programing that it was being integrated to and so it lashed out in defiance…"_

"You speak as if you understand it," said Dr. Cho, looking at Jenn with faint interest.

" _I was in his head Dr. Cho, so to speak,_ " said Jenn, her pale blue eyes looking at the other woman. " _I saw as he saw… and… I had been through something similar as to what he had gone through… I do understand him. However, the choices and actions he will take because of that anger. That is what we will need to be in fear of._ "

The others, save for her family, studied Jenn with varied looks of wariness and confusion. Ana and the others in the family understood what it was she spoke of: Her survival of the accident that took her parent's lives and made her a quadriplegic.

"He didn't want to kill you at first," said Natasha, studying the other woman with interest. "He said that we were killers… All of us except for you. Why did he single you out?"

At this, a faint blush rose into Jenn's cheeks as she turned and walked over to the nearest console. After a few moments, she pulled up the block of data that had been in Jarvis' system. It all pertained to her. " _Ultron had accessed a group of files Jarvis kept. All of it contained files and data about me. I don't know why Jarvis made it and I don't know why Ultron would take that info and think me different from any of you."_

"Because you are," said Tony, who had walked over to Jenn's console to look at the files his AI had kept of the woman. He was beginning to understand Jarvis a little more now. When his gaze met with Jenn's confused one, he gave a slight nod. "You are." He looked at the others at that moment. "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day but out there?" He pointed to the ceiling, indicating the greater area beyond it and the planet they called their home. "That's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that? What plans did you have in place to protect the one place we call home?" He pointed to the woman beside him. "She understood that." He pointed to Bruce and Ana. "They understood that. What don't you understand? Why don’t you not see that we needed this-"

"The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD," said Steve, his gaze had hardened the longer he had listened to Tony Stark. "If another threat had presented itself than we would have beaten them together."

"We're tired Steve," said Bruce, his hold on his wife firm. "We're tired of fighting. Tired of having the fear." He looked down at his wife as she looked up at him, her sadness and understanding quite clear. He swallowed and turned his attention back to the soldier. "I understand the need to fight but there are times that we just want the peace and to be with the ones we love. This program had the chance to give us just that."

"And now you have unleashed a threat that will not only destroy what peace you had, it will destroy everything," said Thor, his frown deep as he looked at Bruce and then at Tony. "This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something that you didn't understand-"

"Enough," Ana's voice had cut in at that moment and all eyes focused on her as she pulled away from Bruce's embrace. "It is done. Ultron is out there and we have to stop him." She turned her attention to Steve. "My immediate concern is for the safety of my family. Once my children are safe, we will help you take Ultron down." She looked at Bruce, who gave a firm nod in agreement. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to Steve. "Whatever you have planned I would advise to get started as soon as possible. We'll need to act quickly if we are to find Ultron before he is ready for us. " She took in a breath and to calm her rising heartbeat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some calls to make and favors to pull."

She turned to Bruce, gave him a soft kiss and a whispered word of love, who smiled at her in turn. He was going to stay and help out Jenn and Tony with whatever they needed, they had agreed on that while the others had been discussing the problem with Ultron. She, in the meantime, would start looking for safe houses for the twins to stay in. DuPont Manor was too well known after the Mandarin attack from two years ago so they would not risk taking them home but they could not risk Luc and Beccie staying here in the tower.

As she started to make her way out of the lab, she caught Tony's eye and he gave her a quick wink. Erai and Jenn had said goodbye as she passed them. The others didn't say a word, they just watched her leave. All of them except for Clint Barton, who had called out to her on the way out the lab.

"Hey Ana," he said as he fell into step beside her. "Just a quick word… I think I can help you and Bruce out…"


	68. Another Battle

_Fighting to stay afloat_

_Fighting to get a grip_

_Fighting to stop and catch a breath_

_Fighting to stay alive_

_Fighting to love and fighting for love_

_I am fighting for everything in my entire existence_

_And it can't be helped…_

**Fighting** – Ash Saveman, May 2015

-o-

Chapter 68: Another Battle

Another battle was on the horizon.

Ana could feel it in the air as she and Bruce were heading back to the lab the following morning.

It had been a restless night, one in which she and Bruce had spent together discussing the options they had for a safe house for the twins. They were torn between two possible solutions. One had been an unexpected offer of help from Elizabeth "Betty" Ross, Bruce's old flame from years prior. After Betty's initial help of Jenn obtaining her new suit, she had maintained contact with the couple over the past two years. It had gotten to the point that an unexpected friendship had blossomed between Betty and Ana, a friendship that Bruce had jokingly stated he was in fear of. Betty had been a common sight at the DuPont Manor during the summer time when the family was home there. The town the manor was based in was not a resort town for nothing and Betty was always glad to pack up and take a much-needed vacation there. She also adored the twins and was often spoiling them right along with Tony when Bruce and Ana's backs were turned.

She still called Virginia her home and she still worked as a professor at Culver University but her hometown was a small rural town that was as safe and as far away from any trouble they may see. So, when Bruce had called Betty to explain the situation and the help of looking for a safe place to keep the twins, she had not hesitated in offering her help. When Bruce had brought this to Ana's attention, she had been surprised and touched that Betty would be so willing to help. She was considering it but Clint's offer to help had been the one to stick with her.

When Clint had spoken with her after the meeting and explained the situation and what he could do to help them, she had been caught off guard. She had no idea that Hawkeye had even had such a secret to begin with and yet it shouldn't have surprised her. He was almost as secretive as Natasha; he hadn't been a SHIELD agent for nothing after all. When he offered his help with giving a safe house for the twins and when he explained where it was, she felt extreme relief and gratitude toward him. He was taking a risk with opening up to Ana but she had thanked him and assured him that his secret would be kept safe with Bruce and her. When she had brought this possible solution to Bruce with the explanation Clint had given her, he had been surprised as much as she had. After discussing it well into the wee hours of the morning, they had made a final decision on which safe house they would go with and should that one prove to be unsafe, the second option would be a backup. They discussed this with all parties involved with the care of the twins and all agreed with the plan.

Feeling better with everything regarding her son and daughter, Ana had cleaned up from the night previous, taking a shower and getting dressed in a loose black blouse and jeans. Bruce had gone to help Cammie with the twins before he went to get ready himself. Ana had stopped by the kitchen of their apartments, greeting Cammie and giving Luc and Beccie a kiss and embrace before helping with their breakfast. Once Bruce had arrived, they sat down for breakfast with their children and tried to have a feeling of normalcy, despite the tension that still hung in the air. Watching their children as they made a mess of their oatmeal, Bruce and Ana could not help but think of all the battles they had fought so far to ensure their family's peace.

Now another battle was coming and both husband and wife agreed: This battle was going to be one of their most difficult ones.

-o-

The group of Avengers had reconvened in the lab to go back over all they had about Ultron and anything new that might have cropped up. It seemed that Ultron was an exceedingly fast learner and worked at an incredibly inhuman pace, he was already steps ahead of the Avengers. There were reports of a metal man, or men, popping up from all over the globe from various robotics labs, weapons facilities, and jet propulsion labs that were coming in and emptying the place of all of their goods. There were reports of fatalities by those who had attempted to engage them: men left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see.

It appeared that Ultron had managed to track down and enlist the help of a pair of Enhanced humans, twins with the surname of Maximoff. Born and raised in Sokovia, they had volunteered for Strucker's experiments and had been the only ones to survive. They had actually been there at the battle when the Avengers had raided the HYDRA base there, though Ana had not personally come across them while she had been Cin.

Since they had joined forces with Ultron, there was now even more to be concerned about. Especially when the report that the man responsible for their enhanced status had been found murdered in his jail cell. The word PEACE was scrawled in blood on the wall beside him. When Steve Rogers arrived in the lab to join the rest of the group, he had shown them the photo of Strucker, a grim look on his face.

"What's this?" asked Tony, sparing a glance at the tablet the soldier presented.

"A message," said Steve, glancing at Tony before looking about at the others. "Ultron killed Strucker."

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene," Tony added as he took the tablet and shook his head. "Just for us."

"This is a smoke screen," said Natasha as she reached out to take the tablet from Tony, studying the photo. "Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss," said Steve as he folded his arms.

"And if Jenn here wasn't the most beautiful and intelligent woman that she was, we wouldn't have the files we have to find out what that was," said Tony as he moved over to where Natasha was sitting behind a work console, glancing down at the monitor. Natasha had set aside the tablet and had pulled up the relevant info concerning Strucker on the screen. Tony had glanced over at Jenn at that moment, who was sitting beside Ana and Bruce on the opposite end of the work table they were around, typing away at a work station. Her face was expressionless, as always, but her pale blue eyes were glaring at him when their eyes met, her cheeks sporting a faint blush. He smiled and winked at her.

"Any known associates?" asked Steve as he moved around to stand behind Jenn, seeing what information she was pulling up. He attempted to be as nonchalant as possible in maintaining a comfortable distance between them. It was no secret to Jenn that Captain America was always uncomfortable with her presence. Apparently, he felt that was worth dealing with if he didn't have to be around Tony. Jenn ignored him as she continued to type away at the keys, pulling up files of every person known to have associated with Strucker, past and present.

Bruce, who had leaned over to look over the files as Jenn scrolled through them after reading them, frowned and shook his head. "Well, these people are all horrible."

Ana laughed in spite of herself and Bruce couldn't help the grin as he caught his wife's eye. She was always the only one to laugh at his awkward sense of humor even three years later. Neither noticed the glance from Natasha and the very quick look of sadness and longing that appeared when her gaze landed on Bruce and disappeared just as quickly. However, she had been in Steve Roger's line of sight and the slight frown on his face was telling.

"Wait, I know that guy," said Tony as he reached out to point to something on Natasha's screen. Natasha paused in her scrolling through the files. It was a picture of a Caucasian man, scruffy with a series of tattoos and a strange scar on the side of his neck. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms." He paused when he caught the look Steve was giving him from across the table. He gave a shrug as he straightened up. "There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything." He glanced back down at the monitor and pointed to the picture. "He was talking about finding something new - a game changer. It was all very 'Ahab.'"

Jenn, who had pulled up the file of the man Tony was talking about on her screen, read off the name. " _Ulysses_ _Klaue,_ " she said as she started pulling up more photos of him. Thor, who had been silent up until that point, had walked around the table to join Steve behind Jenn, his curiosity getting the best of him.

He looked over the photos Jenn had on display on her monitor before something caught his eye. "This," he said, as he pointed to a photo that showed the strange scar on the side of his neck.

" _A brand,_ " said Jenn as she brought up the photo on both Natasha's and her monitor and zoomed in on the photo. " _It's a word in an African dialect from the country known as Wakanda. It generally means thief but in a much more vulgar way."_

The frown on Tony's face was deep as he looked up from Natasha's monitor and looked at Jenn. "If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..."

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" asked Steve. Both men shared a meaningful look that went passed the others.

"I don't follow," said Bruce, looking between Steve and Tony. "What comes out of Wakanda?"

" _The strongest metal on Earth,_ " said Jenn as she pulled up a satellite image of the country of Wakanda and the surrounding countries on her screen and was already running a thorough scan of the areas that Klaue had been known to haunt.

"Where is this guy now?" asked Steve, leaning in closer to study the map as Jenn worked.

" _Give me a few moments and I'll have the answer,_ " said Jenn, her scan already zooming in on the satellite image.

"So, while Jenn works on locating our target, the rest of us should suit up," said Steve as he straightened out and looked at the others. "We're going to need to be prepared for whatever it is we find there."

The Avengers glanced around at each other before they all voiced out various words of consent to Captain America's orders and got up to get ready for the trip and potential battle ahead.

-o-

Bruce could only watch his wife as she pulled on her Avengers outfit, her movements hesitant. The frown on her face was deep as she stared at the fireproof uniform, her hands lingering over the modern stylized 'A' that adorned the right breast of the sleeveless dark top.

He knew what she was thinking and he knew what she was feeling.

He moved over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace, his own uniform was nothing more than a pair of dark, stretchable pants with its own 'A' at the waist. He had yet to finish dressing, had paused when he noticed the melancholy air about her. The moment he had pulled her into his arms, Ana had clung to him and buried her face within his chest, her body trembling slightly.

"It'll be all right," he said, willing himself to believe the words. "We'll get through this. Soon we'll be home with the twins and…” He trailed off and reached out to cup a hand to her face. He lifted her head so he could see into the brown eyes he loved so much. "We'll stay home for good. You, me and the twins… No more fighting, no more fear."

A muscle in Ana's jaw ticked, her form still tense as her eyes flicked between Bruce's. She took in a deep breath and gave a nod before she moved to bury herself back in the warmth of his embrace. He held her tighter, no more words spoken between them.

It took a few more moments of that tight embrace before they felt they were ready to continue finishing preparing for the upcoming journey. They were, as always, the last resort – only needed if absolutely necessary. They both hoped they would not be needed this time around.

Once they were ready, they left their bedroom and headed to the living room of their apartments where the twins were playing with some plastic building blocks. Cammie was sitting with them, talking quietly to them as she showed them the different colors and numbers that were on some of the blocks. The moment she saw Bruce and Ana, she offered them a soft smile in greeting before she stood up to give the family a moment of peace.

As she made her way out, she watched as Bruce and Ana went to their children and sat down among the mess of building blocks that were strewn about the carpet. The squeals of delight from the twins as they noticed their mom and dad joining them was always a wonderful sound. Cammie had been with this family from the very beginning and though she understood why Bruce and Ana chose to fight, she wished fervently that the next time they came home, it would be permanently. This new fight was not going to be a simple one for them and she knew the moment they left these apartments, she would need to leave with the kids to the safe house. Erai was going to be going with them as a precaution and for their safety yet Cammie couldn't help the unease that settled within the pit of her stomach…

She sent a quick prayer and left the living room to get the twins' belongings packed…


	69. That Accusing Look

_I could only be myself with you around_

_And now there's nothing left for me to think about_

_And it hurts like hell to be torn apart_

_And it hurt likes hell to be thrown around_

_We were born to be together…_

**Torn Apart** – Bastille

-o-

Chapter 69: That Accusing Look

That accusing look in his eyes was the first thing she noticed when he had pulled her aside after the meeting. Captain America was many things but subtlety was not his forte. He was the kind of man who wore his heart on his sleeve so you could tell exactly what he was thinking at any given time just by looking at him.

Natasha's defenses were already up as she walked with him to a side hallway that led away from the lab and away from where everyone else was heading to get ready for the coming mission. Once they were a safe distance away from earshot of everyone else, Steve Rogers had turned to the assassin and folded his arms across his chest. "Wanna explain to me what that was back there?"

Natasha maintained her relaxed pose though inside she could feel her temper beginning to rise at the audacity of this man. "What do you mean?"

"That look on your face," said Steve, the frown on his face telling. "That look you get whenever you are close to Dr. Banner." His gaze flicked between Natasha's as he studied her, taking note of the expressionless mask she now bore. "It's not the first time it's happened. Whatever you're feeling, whatever is going through your head, it needs to stop for obvious reasons." He paused at this and the frown eased as he took in a breath. "I understand that emotions can be a confusing thing, especially when in the middle of a battle field. I just…" He shook his head as he dropped his arms before he ran a hand through his hair. "I need to know if this is going to be a problem… We need you Nat but I'm not going to put the team or the mission at risk if your head's not going to be in the game."

"I've been fine since this team was started Steve," said Natasha, her eyes boring into his. "I know how to be a professional and how to get the job done. You have nothing to worry about."

He studied her, noting the hardened look in her eyes, before he gave a nod. "All right then…" He paused and sighed, giving another nod. "All right… I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business about what goes on in your personal affairs… I just wanted to be sure."

Caught by surprise by the unexpected apology, Natasha's temper had cooled down and her slightly tense posture had relaxed further. She allowed a small smile to touch her lips as she looked at the team leader. "Don't we have a mission to prep for?"

At that, he nodded and both Captain America and Black Widow headed off to suit up…

-o-

One of the worst parts of the missions they were involved in was the waiting.

Ana always hated the waiting.

The tension, the anxiety, the stress of not knowing.

The change was always painful, no matter how many times she went through it. The physical aspects of her bones and muscles stretching beyond what was normal for her, the pure heat that coursed through her veins as everything trembled and popped, and the slipping away of her consciousness as Cin took control of their shared body. These days there wasn't as much of a fight between them as there used to. They both understood that they were needed when it was time so when Cin came out, Ana would quietly slip away into the subconscious of their shared mind, not truly aware of anything that went on. Not unless Cin was feeling particularly emotional and the wall between them dropped just a little.

According to Bruce, he went through a similar process whenever the Other Guy came out.

It was one of the many things that kept their love for each other so strong: Their raging counter parts.

Even now, when the rest of the Avengers had gone off to track down the man named Klaue – who had made his base in a salvage ship yard off the coast of an African country that was near Wakanda – they were close to one another, their hands clasped as they waited.

The Quinjet was in a small field surrounded by a thicket of jungle, hidden from immediate view. The stealth technology that Tony had implemented helped to keep the jet from being spotted by any searching satellites and surveillance systems. Where they were hiding, it was quiet and serene. However, they could hear the commotion over their comm units as the rest of the Avengers appeared to have found who they had initially been looking for: Ultron and the Maximoff twins.

"Guys," Bruce had stood up, releasing Ana's hand, as he placed a hand to his ear. "Is this a Code Green?" When he didn't get a response, he looked at Ana and a reluctant smile appeared. "A Code Christmas?"

Ana couldn't help but smile in return, feeling grateful that her husband was trying to help ease the tension that had been hanging over them since the beginning of this mission.

There was still no response from the team.

Bruce glanced at Ana with a worried look. "Should we… go? Make sure they're ok?"

She frowned lightly in response, understanding the hesitation Bruce felt but also understanding that their teammates may be in trouble. A moment of thoughtful silence passed before she glanced up at her husband, "If you feel it would be best," she said, giving a nod for good measure. "They might need our help."

Bruce gave her a warm smile in response, seeing her own hesitation and loving her all the more for the support she offered him. He studied her as she got to her feet and took in a deep breath to calm her rising nerves. He reached out to take her hand before he moved over to the panel that opened the back hatch to the Quinjet. The hatch slowly descended and they walked down, their attention focused on the salvage yard that could be seen off in the distance. Neither noticed the red blur that had snuck behind them, too quick and silent for either of them to pick up…

-o-

_This…_

_This wasn't right…_

_Cin was in metal and glass prison, healing from the various gunshot wounds that had subdued her. Her glowing yellow eyes took in her surroundings, catching sight of the smoking turrets that were now nothing more than melted metal after their assault on her. Beyond the melted turrets, she caught sight of several people in white coats standing on the other side of the glass, their faces obscured, all of them except for the woman in the middle. Her pale face and her long dark hair were her distinguishing features, her pale blue eyes filled with horror at the sight of what she had just witnessed._

_Mama…_

_The word had floated up from somewhere behind her… or above her?_

_Cin looked around, trying to catch sight of what had spoken and she looked up, her eyes meeting with a pair of brown eyes. Ana was there, tied to the ceiling in chains, her copper brown curls lank and limp. Tears were streaming down her cheeks._

_This wasn't right…_

_Ana was never separate from her, never apart, they were one and whole. Always…_

_"Wake up," said Ana, her voice hoarse from abuse. "Wake up Cin… Please wake up. Hulk needs you… Bruce needs us…" She coughed and a splatter of blood erupted from her mouth. At various points across her body, gunshot wounds began to appear…._

_Cin cried out in surprise and worry and she tried to reach for Ana, tried to reach so they could be whole again. The twins needed them… Bruce and Hulk needed them… They wouldn't die like this._

_"_ Mon ange _," a familiar voice spoke and Cin looked down, catching sight of the familiar face of their mother. Sido was smiling, now in the prison with her, the other people had disappeared…_

_Sido reached out, wanting to caress Cin's cheek. "I miss you so much… You've done so well…" Cin could feel the tears in her eyes as she leaned down to meet with Sido's hand; her mother's touch had been missed. "But you have to wake up. Wake up Cin… Your mate needs you… " Her hand fell away as she took a step back. "Wake up now, please…"_

-o-

_WAKE UP!_

Ana's voice was screaming in her mind, screaming and crying in desperation as Cin groggily came back into awareness. She blinked several times when suddenly she felt something incredibly strong grab her by the legs and pick her up. She had a fleeting glance of something green before she was smashed down into the ground. Pain erupted from the point of contact and she was growling as she managed to twist and pull herself from the tight grip of whatever held her.

She moved quickly away from the threat as she heard a familiar roar from above her, a familiar roar that was never – _never –_ aimed her way. As she got to her feet, she looked back at her attacker and felt her heart drop at the sight that greeted her. Hulk was roaring at her, already on the move and following after her quick steps. He had deep gashes and stab wounds on his chest and shoulders that were overflowing with green blood, wounds that looked like they came from her….

_Oh no…_

The enemy had gotten to them. Somehow, they had managed to get into their heads and they had been fighting each other. Even now, her mate was still trapped in his mind and he could not see her. There was this unnatural red tint to his green eyes.

She let out a heartfelt croon, his name falling from her lips in a vain attempt to get him to come back to himself. He didn't respond and he was already raising a fist in an attempt to throttle her but she was on the retreat, not wanting to cause him any further harm. The landscape they were in was riddled with gouge marks and lingering fires on the local vegetation, signs that they had been fighting for some time. Every time that the Hulk would aim a punch her way, she would dodge it or deflect it, trying to get through to him with each moment that passed.

Finally, seeing that she was no longer fighting back and that he could not get to her no matter how hard he tried, the Hulk let out a loud roar in frustration. He turned away from Cin and took off in the opposite direction, looking to let loose his anger out on something. The panic began to well up in Cin as she saw the skyline of a city in the distance. He was heading straight for it. She knew if he destroyed that city in his rage, Bruce would never forgive himself. She had to keep him distracted, for as long as possible…

Without a moment's pause, the tears welling in her eyes, she chased after her mate, determined to keep the Hulk's attention on her, at least until the team got to them. It was obvious that she could not reach him, he was trapped too far in whatever hallucination he was in. Reaching deep down within herself, she sensed the chamber of magma that was miles and miles deep below them yet it was within the limited range of her control. She swallowed- hoping that at least Tony would get to them quickly- and focused her energy on summoning the magma to the surface. She was going to need a boundary, something to halt her mate in his current destination…

With a shuddering of earth and an explosion of heated rock, lava flowed up to the surface and rose like a wave, arching high into the air and spreading apart, creating a nigh impenetrable wall of burning heat. The Hulk had crashed to a stop at the sight of the lava wall, the heat that rolled off of it causing the raging green monster to finally halt in his tracks. It was enough time for Cin to catch up and she quickly moved, leaping up into the air and crashing against the Hulk's back.

Caught off guard by the sudden weight, the Hulk roared and turned his head, trying to see the one that attacked him. She didn't hesitate as she wrapped her long arms under his armpits, up and behind his neck, locking her clawed hands together. She wrapped her legs around his hips and she held on, keeping him from being able to move effectively. She wouldn't be able to stop him from moving but she could hinder him. His roar of frustration was loud and she winced, struggling between concentrating on controlling the wall of lava that now surrounded them on all sides and keeping a hold of her mate.

For a few moments, there was this tussle back and forth between them, the Hulk attempting to dislodge her. When he thought he had her off, she would manage to get a grip on him once more, locking her clawed hands together. She was stronger than she looked and the Hulk did not like it. He reached up and took a hold of the arms around his neck but instead of pulling down, instinctively knowing of her sharp claws, he turned and slammed her against the ground, pulling all of his weight into crushing her.

The impact was incredible and the very ground shook as the wall of lava wavered. It did the trick and she let out a gasping breath from the pain as her hold on him slackened. He took the opportunity given and pulled away from her. He turned around in his rage and reached out to slam his large fists down on her. He ignored her cry of pain as he did it one, twice, three times; not noticing the wall of lava was now wavering even more and lowering around them.

He was about to raise another fist when something had landed in a crash in front of him, coming between him and the target of his rage. It was soon followed by another and then another, until he was surrounded by a wall of metal that connected and surrounded him like a cage. His roar of rage of muffled and indistinct as he tried to find a way out of the metal cage that contained him.

By this time the wall of lava had finally shuddered and fell down and away from the immediate area of the one who had been in control of it. Without that source, it was already beginning to cool and harden, blocking out the escape route it had created to the magma chamber below. The Hulk, seeing that he would not be able to punch his way through the cage, started punching his way into the ground, seeing a flaw in the design of this cage. By this time, another party had joined the fray, a large metal suit that was standing protectively over the unconscious human woman who was lying in the center of the impact crater.

The moment the Hulk had emerged from the ground, roaring his anger, a large metal fist had appeared and punched the living daylights out of him. The impact had been heavy and true in its course and after a disoriented moment, the Hulk blinked, his green eyes coming back into focus as the red tint disappeared. He looked up at the sight of the Hulkbuster, confusion etched on his face before his green eyes looked down and caught sight of the unconscious form of Ana.

Cold fear broke through the Hulk as the implications of what had happened began to settle in. "Ana," he said, his voice wavering as his form immediately began to shrink. He ignored the Hulkbuster, ignored the sound of Tony's voice emerging from it as he asked what the hell happened. His focus was on his mate and, as he crawled his way out of the hole and across the cracked ground to her, his form began to shrink as the desperation and shock replaced the rage that had been ever present.

The moment Bruce had reached her, he was trembling and weeping. The greatest fear he had ever had had made itself known and he screamed her name as he tried and failed to wake her up…

-o-

~Intermission~

_Daddy Time_

The Hulk was staring at a brick wall, a familiar brick wall that separated the garden from the surrounding lands of the DuPont Estate.

He wasn't sure what had prompted him to come out here- he could recall a moment of anger from Bruce, some argument he and Ana had had but it hadn't been important… In fact, the Hulk was sure it had something to do with him.

"There he is, sunshines," said a familiar voice and the Hulk turned his head back to catch sight of Ana. The love that filled at the sight of her was still a new feeling for him, despite how long they had been together.

Ana was smiling up at him and she was holding the twins in each arm. Luc and Beccie were staring at him with wide, brown eyes. "There is your Papa." She was smiling in a wicked way as she looked at Luc and nuzzled his nose, the boy giggled. "Your Daddy was a little scared about your Papa meeting you but you two have a birthday coming up and you hadn't met him yet.” She looked back up at the Hulk and her smile turned into a grin. "Please don't be mad at me _mon amour_ but I was not going to take no for answer. Luc and Beccie needed to meet you."

She placed the twins down on the grass and gave them both a quick kiss. The toddlers were looking hesitant to leave their mother. "He's wanted to meet you since you were born…" she said, her tone loving and sweet. She looked up at the Hulk and gave wink. "Isn't that right Hulk?"

He blinked in response, unsure of how to even address her. He had memories of the twins from the Little Guy, he had always felt the mental link with them since before they had been born, but he had never seen them with his own eyes. He turned to face them, his large step shuddering the ground beneath him. The reaction from the twins had been priceless: Beccie squealed with delight and clapped her little hands while Luc stumbled and fell on his backside in surprise. The Hulk couldn't help the smile that touched his lips as he looked at the twins and took another step forward.

This time the twins were ready and they both laughed as they looked up at the Hulk, no fear could be seen. They knew this was their father. Seeing the smiles of delight on their faces, the Hulk continued to take large shuddering steps toward them until he was right in front of them. He leaned down and reached out a large finger to gently run it over his daughter's brown curls. "Beccie…" he said before he focused his attention on his son and a familiar feeling of male pride welled up in his chest.”Luc…" He reached out his other hand and gently ruffled his son's curls. The toddler scrunched up his nose and turned his head away from his father's reach.

"No hair," the boy said, making his displeasure quite clear. He didn't like it when Uncle Tony ruffled his hair. His father didn't get an exception.

The Hulk, seeing this stubborn flare of toddler temper in his son, blinked in response before a bright smile touched his face. He reached out and ruffled his son's hair again, who let out a wail in protest and turned to hide behind his mother, hoping she would protect him. The Hulk by this time was laughing, the sound of his daughter's giggle and the softer sounds of Ana's laugh bringing a feeling of happiness within the Hulk. This was his family…

It didn't truly hit him until this moment, seeing them face to face.

This was his family and he rather liked the thought of it. He reached out without hesitation to pick up his son and daughter in each hand, their squeals of delight as they rose up into the air like music to his ears…


	70. The Worst of It All

_How heavy these days are_

_There's a not a fire that can warm me_

_Not a sun to laugh with me_

_Everything bare_

_Everything cold and merciless…_

**How Heavy the Days** – Hermann Hesse

-o-

Chapter 70: The Worst of it All

The worst of it all, Tony would have to say, was the fact that out of the entire team being hit by the Maximoff twins – Bruce and Ana had been hit the hardest.

Even now, in the safety of the Quinjet, Tony was watching his friend as he sat vigil by his wife's side. Ana was still unconscious, laying on a gurney with an IV inserted to keep her hydrated. She was unresponsive to everything around her. The visible portions of her body had various ugly bruises. It was actually a sight better than it had been a few hours before when there had been busted ribs, a punctured lung, and broken bones. That had healed over, the sight of it quite unusual since some of the team had never personally witnessed her body healing itself. The sight of broken bones snapping back into place had been something else. Her signature crimson veins were pulsing with heat and a red glow, still healing the damage her body had suffered. It was a typical sight but the fact that she was in this coma-like state was worrisome. She had suffered the brunt of the Hulk's witch induced rage and barely survived it.

Bruce hadn't said a single word since the rest of the team had come to grab them.

He had remained beside his wife, holding her hand, every once in a while he would lean in and press a firm kiss against her temple, whispering in her ear as his shoulders trembled from the sadness and guilt that tore through him. The others had glanced at the couple with various looks of worry and sympathy but gave Bruce the needed space, remaining in various spots around the cockpit of the Quinjet but not too close to the doctor and his wife. They hadn't been there to witness the fight but the local news had managed to capture footage. A single helicopter had flown over head after the eruption of lava had caught their attention. It had witnessed the fight between the two raging monsters as one kept the other from getting to the city, capturing each moment while narrowly evading the wall of lava that surrounded them.

The local news outlets released the footage to the internet and now the entire world had seen the devastating fight between the two monsters. What could have been a disaster for an entire city was now nothing more than a complete and utter moment of guilt and grief for the man who loved the woman who had saved them from himself.

"The news is loving you guys," Maria's voice had caught Tony's attention and he looked at the console in front of him, a deep frown on his face. "The worst of the damage that was left over from the fight was the lava flow but that's already cooled over." She had hesitated before continuing. "There are some officials questioning why the Hulk and Cin were fighting there in the first place… There's been no official call for any investigation but it's in the air."

"Any reports of casualties in the area?" asked Tony, once more glancing back to focus his attention on Bruce and his little sister.

"No, only damage was to the land," she said in reply, looking at something off screen. "There were no people, no buildings, no signs of civilization of any capacity. No one was in that area."

"Lucky there," he said as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Keep an eye on the area. If there is a need, send in the Stark Relief Foundation to help clean up."

"Will do," said Maria as she started to type away at her keyboard. "How's the team?"

"Everyone's…" He hesitated and slowly shook his head. “We took a hit…"

Maria's gaze had focused back on him and the look on her face had softened a tad. "Any change?"

Tony glanced over his shoulder, his hazel eyes focusing on his little sister. "Bones have healed, some bruises left over… Still no response."

"Hmm," Maria gave a nod as she began typing again. "I'll let Jenn know… She's working on finding out what Ultron's next target is. He got the vibranium but for what reason we don't know… I'd suggest staying in stealth mode and laying low. Don't come back here, just to be on the safe side."

"So, run and hide?" said Tony, a slight frown appearing on his face.

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't recommend coming out into the open just yet," she said. "The team needs to get themselves back together… and you and Dr. Banner need to focus on Ana. Let Jenn and I handle this for right now."

"Right…" said Tony, reaching out to switch off the console after Maria had disconnected the call. He got up and made his way over to the cockpit. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"

"No, I'm good," said Clint as he adjusted a few things on the console to the Quinjet before focusing his attention back on steering. "If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time. We're still a few hours out."

Tony braced his arm against the edge of the metal frame that separated the pilot's area from the rest of the Quinjet. "A few hours from where?"

"A safe house," he said in reply but didn't elaborate. Instead, he glanced back at Tony and gestured his head behind him. "Mind letting Banner know?"

Tony frowned lightly at that but decided to let it go for now, giving a nod at Clint's request. He turned away from the pilot's seat and made his way over to the corner where Bruce was sitting beside Ana's gurney. The rest of the team watched him as he made his way carefully to sit beside Bruce. "Hey, Big Guy… She's looking better."

Bruce didn't respond to his comment and Tony didn't expect him to. It was true though; the bruising was already turning a yellowish, greenish hue as opposed to the deep blues and purples they had been. They continued to sit in silence, watching the gentle rise and fall of Ana's breathing. Since her ribs had healed, her breathing was smoother now. In the beginning, before her body had begun healing itself, she had been a rough sight. Too rough for words and it was a memory that Tony didn't want to even think about. At that moment in time, even Tony had feared that he might have lost his little sister. Yet, she was a stubborn and tough little bitch, he could give her that and he couldn't have been more grateful for Cin's healing factor than at this moment. She was going to live but when she was going to wake up was the question.

"Hawkeye says we're a few hours out from a safe house he knows about," said Tony, after the silence had stretched on.

This caught Bruce's attention and, for the first time since they had boarded the Quinjet, he focused his gaze on his best friend. Tony could say he looked horrible, his eyes were bloodshot and the lines of tension and grief were etched onto his face. Yet, at the mention of the safe house, the first sign of a tiny smile could be seen on his face. "Y-yeah? Good… good…" He turned away from Tony and leaned in toward Ana, gently running a finger against her cheek. "You hear that Ana? We're heading to Clint's place… Just a little bit longer sweetheart…" The grief had taken over him again, the lack of response from his wife cutting to the heart of him. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head down to rest it against Ana's side, his shoulders trembling.

Tony could hear the muffled apologies now that he was closer, over and over interspersed with prayers. Tony could feel his own heart breaking at the sight of it as Bruce's whispered words continued.

"I'm sorry... My god, I am so sorry Ana… Please, wake up... Please…"

-o-

The moment the Quinjet had landed, the sun was making its way over the eastern horizon. The rest of the Avengers had taken in the sight of the area that Clint had taken them to. There was a white, two story farm house in the distance, with a non-descript barn not too far from it. It was surrounded by some farmland, hills and thickets of woods. There was even a pond not too far out from the home. It was an out of the way place for sure and no one had any idea where Hawkeye had taken them.

"What is this place?" asked Thor as he followed the others as they descended the hatch and out onto the grassy field on the edge of a thicket of trees.

Bruce did not join them; he remained behind with his wife on the Quinjet. The team decided it would be safer not to move her in the state that she was in. Clint had stayed behind to say something the doctor, what that was the others didn't hear. Yet, it brought a small smile to the good doctor's face as he gave a nod in response.

"A safe house?" asked Tony, looking back to see Clint heading down the hatch to join the rest of them.

"Let's hope so," said Clint as he started ahead of the others. "C'mon, this way." He led the group down the sloping grass and onto a dirt driveway that led to the house. There was an old dirty pickup truck parked off to the side. As he led them up the driveway and toward the front steps of the home, they could see a few bicycles were hidden behind some bushes to the left of the porch. An American flag was hanging right above the bikes, waving lazily in the rising morning breeze. The porch was a wrap around and to the right it continued on, leading to another door. The edge of a wooden rocking chair could be seen along with a gas grill.

Clint didn't hesitate as he opened the screen door and then the front door to the home. "Honey! I'm home!"

The team had been expecting many things but the sight of a heavily pregnant woman with long brown hair walking out from the kitchen was not one of them. All of them had various looks of surprise on their faces save for Natasha, who has bypassed the others to get further into the house. She looked as if she was familiar with the place and didn't look at all surprised to see the woman. Considering Clint was her best friend, it was no wonder.

"Hi," he said to the woman, offering an apologetic smile. "More company. Sorry I didn't call ahead this time."

"This is an agent of some kind," said Tony to Thor as he watched Clint make his way over to the woman.

"Hey," she said, her responding smile was filled with love. "It's all right. They've been absolute darlings…" She leaned up to give him a warm kiss before turning to the others, wrapping an arm around Clint's waist.

"Gentlemen, this is Laura," said Clint by way of introduction.

Laura Barton smiled at the team of Avengers in greeting; she was a very pretty woman. "Hi, I know all of your names…" As her eyes traveled over the group, a slight frown had replaced her welcoming smile. She turned her attention back to Clint. "Where's –"

Before she could ask her question, several children had run into the room: two familiar toddlers and an older boy and girl. The toddlers were chasing after the boy and girl, their squeals of laughter a welcome distraction. At the sight of all of the adults in the rooms, the children had halted, taking in the sight of them. The toddlers, having spotted a familiar face among the group, let out screams of joy and made a beeline for the person in question.

" _Unca Tony_!"

Tony Stark had not been expecting his godchildren to come running at him full force let alone even be _here_ of all places. The moment they barreled into his legs, he was thrown slightly back but managed to steady himself. "Luc? Beccie?" With the practiced ease of someone who had done it a hundred times over, Tony swooped down and picked up the twins in each arm. The Banner twins were exuberant in greeting their godfather and in between the hugs and the babbles, he managed to catch Clint's eye, the obvious question clear on his face.

_What are they doing here?_

Clint, who had been the middle of greeting his own children, had mouthed _later_ to him, his meaning clear. The rest of the team, already surprised by the turn of events so far, didn't bat an eye when Erai had emerged from the kitchen, Cammie following in behind him.

"Sorry Laura," said Cammie, a strained smile on her face. "They slipped away before we could stop them. Quick little monkeys," she finished this as she gazed at the Barton children, who were laughing as they hid behind their father. She focused her gaze on the group, not at all surprised to see them there. "Hey," she said this to Tony, her strained smile becoming sadder. Apparently, Cammie had been in touch with Jenn if the look on her face was anything to go by.

The moment Erai's gaze met with Tony's, the frown on the Lyttan's face was deep. "Bring me to them when you are done with the children, I want to see for myself."

Tony, instantly understanding what Erai was telling him, gave a firm nod in reply as he held his godchildren closer. If there was anyone who could find out what was wrong with Ana, Cin's twin brother would be the one to give them the answer.

-o-

After the awkward introductions to Hawkeye's secret family, the rest of the team had separated to try and get a moment of individual calm after all they had been through. Tony had taken Clint aside to get the details about why his godchildren were there. The surprise that the Banner twins had been staying there – along with Cammie and Erai – without Tony's knowledge was what really caught him off guard. With all of the hustle and bustle of the mission, Bruce and Ana had told him that the twins were staying in a safe house, though they didn't state were. Apparently, according to Clint, they had sworn they would keep his secret family a secret if his wife didn't mind being hostess to the twins until the mess with Ultron was cleared up.

Tony understood now that he got the full story though he did have to admit to feeling a slight sting in the fact that Bruce and Ana had not filled him in on the details. They were his godchildren after all. Clint had told him not to take it personally, it was at his request that they didn't share it with anyone so if the billionaire wanted to blame anyone, he could blame Clint. At that point, it was water under the bridge since the kids were just fine and they were in perfectly safe hands with Erai and Cammie. So, Tony let it go and focused his attention on the immediate problem at heart: Ana not waking up.

Back on the Quinjet, Bruce's attention was focused on his wife's resting form, not noticing when Tony had arrived with Erai trailing behind him. The moment the Lyttan had stopped beside the good doctor, he reached out and placed a firm hand on the back of the man's neck. Bruce didn't so much as flinch as a red glow emerged from Erai's hand, the crimson veins in his forearm glowing with subdued heat. After a moment, he released Bruce's neck and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "It is not your fault, brother," he said, giving him a firm shake.

Bruce could barely tear his gaze away from Ana's still face as he turned his head slightly toward Erai, shaking it. "How can you think that? I–"

Another firm shake to the shoulder and this time Bruce looked up at Cin's twin brother. "Not your fault," he said forcefully, his deep blue eyes boring into the doctor's before the other man finally swallowed and looked away, not responding to his comment.

Erai, seeing that Bruce was not going to speak further about what happened, released his shoulder and moved to stand at the head of the gurney. Tony had stood a few feet away, watching the entire scene with a deep frown on his face. His arms were folded across his chest as he watched the Lyttan. Erai had reached out to caress Ana's cheeks with both hands before he leaned down and placed his forehead against hers. At the same time, the crimson veins in their necks flared to life with subdued heat – the link between the twins reaffirming itself. Erai was silent as he focused on the connection between himself and Cin and Ana. It was always a strange connection. The two were of separate consciousness but shared the same mind. It was something that was possible with Lyttans that temporarily merged with other beings. Yet, Ana and Cin were permanently merged so this kind of telepathic link was still a surprise to Erai, even after all this time. Their link was always a strong one though and physical touch amplified the connection.

Within but a few moments, Cin's and Ana's memories flashed through Erai's mind what all that had happened. The hallucinations Cin had suffered from the hands of the mind witch, the terrible flashbacks, and then the fight as she tried and failed to calm the Hulk down from his rage – being unable to reach him through their own link. It all played through his mind's eye and after the fight there was nothing but peace and calm. Releasing Ana, he placed a firm kiss upon her brow before turning his attention to both men whom he called brothers. "She is in what our people call a healing sleep. Her body and mind had suffered much. Give her time. "

"How long?" asked Bruce, taking Ana's limp hand in his own to place a firm kiss upon her fingers.

Erai glanced at the good doctor and gave a shake of his head. "I cannot say. It could be within a few moments, within a few hours or maybe in a few days. It is only when her body and mind have healed and calmed from the trauma that she will awake."

"But she will wake up, right?" asked Tony, his gaze on his little sister, the worry quite clear.

At this Erai smiled. "Yes, she will wake up, of that you need not worry."

The sigh of relief from both men had been subtle but the guilt was still clearly seen on the good doctor's face as he moved a little closer by his wife's side. Erai took a step back and, giving one last worried look to Bruce, turned and headed off the jet.

Tony watched the man go before he went to take a seat beside Bruce. "Don't be so hard on yourself Bruce," he said as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands loosely clasped. "It wasn't your fault… That witch messed with both of your minds."

"I couldn't feel her," said Bruce, his voice still shaking from the emotion was warring within him. "Whenever the Hulk comes out, I can still feel Ana even in that darkness. It's always the one thing that brings me back…" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I couldn't feel her this time… I knew something was wrong but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't push past the Other Guy's rage… Now…" The grief appeared once more and he hung his head. He was broken up over all that had happened.

Tony's lips thinned, knowing that no matter what was said, Bruce was going to firmly believe that it was his fault that his wife had gotten hurt. Instead, he let out a sigh and reached out to rest a hand on the other man's shoulder. They both sat there in silence, listening to the soft breathing of the woman they cared so much about…


	71. Love is a Test

_If you ever find yourself stuck between a rock and hard place_

_Then my advice is to flip a coin and pick a face_

_While it's in the air you might find that you have been graced_

_With a way out that is painless_

_A way you can still win this race…_

**A Rock or a Hard Place** – Ethan Wilson

-o-

Chapter 71: Love is a Test

Love is a test to all that you know and it is the kind of test that could bring a man or woman down to their knees or raise them up stronger than they had ever been before. It can test your patience, your willingness to compromise, and the very limits of what you will or will not tolerate. Love can be a blessing and a curse all in one.

When you love someone – no matter the many bumps in the road, the trials and tribulations, the difficulties that may arise – if you can look at them at the end of the day and still feel that love and still feel that it was all worth it then _that_ is the definition of true love.

Yet, this was not what Bruce Banner was feeling at the moment. The guilt over what had happened was beginning to overlap with the love he felt for his wife. The worst of his fears had come true, brought to life by a mind meddling witch who had a vendetta against his best friend. His wife had done all she could to reach him and stop him but because of her choice she had been the one to suffer the brunt of the Hulk's mad rage. The very thought that he had almost killed his wife had broken his heart and filled him with heart wrenching guilt and self-loathing. He could barely acknowledge Tony, who had stayed with him after Erai had left. His best friend had continued to offer words of comfort – reminding him that the twins were there and they would want to see him – before he finally felt he had said all he could and left the Quinjet.

It was another half an hour before one of the others had come onto the Quinjet, no doubt coming to check to see how he was doing. He didn't look up when Natasha had taken the seat beside him, her gaze on Ana's face. "Tony told us Ana is going to be ok…"

Bruce barely moved his head in a nod, the tiniest of smiles touching his lips. "She'll wake up…"

Natasha focused her gaze on the man beside her, her gaze lingering on the tight lines of tension on his face. "You should go and get some rest," she said. "Ana wouldn't like it that you aren't taking care of yourself after everything..."

"I'm fine," he said, this time turning his head and looking at her. "Did Tony send you out here?"

At this, Natasha's signature smirk appeared as she gave a single shake of her head. "No… The twins did. They were asking for you so…" She shrugged and gestured back toward the hatch, which was still open and had a view of the farmhouse. "I thought I'd come out here and give you a chance to see them…" She trailed off, watching his face as he focused his attention back to Ana. "I can stay and keep an eye on her. If there are any changes, I'll come get you."

The thought of the twins in the farm house was the one thing that managed to get him moving. With a hesitant nod toward the redhead, he leaned down and pressed a loving kiss against Ana's temple. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna check on the kids… Let them know you're sleeping… I love you…" He pressed another kiss before looking at Natasha and giving a smile. "Thanks Nat…"

Natasha smiled at Bruce and nodded, not saying anything as she shuffled her legs aside to let him pass. He got up and awkwardly scooted past the assassin with a muttered apology. He made his way to the hatch but hesitated on the threshold, glancing back at the woman. "Get me if she wakes up."

Natasha nodded once more. "Promise."

Bruce nodded, more to himself than to her, before he turned and descended out of the Quinjet.

Now alone with the unconscious woman, Natasha turned and looked at Ana, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she slept. She wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned forward, her eyes focused on the other woman. "Please wake up soon," she said, a sad look appearing. “He's so lost without you…" She hesitated and glanced back at the hatch, making sure that they were truly alone, before she turned her attention back to Ana. "…I envy you, you know…" She looked down, her red hair falling forward. "…The way he looks at you…" She shook her head and took in a breath, stopping herself from saying too much. Instead, she sat back in her seat in an attempt to get more comfortable, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to rest as well.

-o-

A soft breath had eased passed her lips as Jenn finished reading the encrypted message she had received from Dr. Helen Cho. The woman had long since returned to her home in Seoul, South Korea and, after the run in with Ultron, had followed the strict instructions to go into hiding at the coordinates Jenn had indicated. The woman had sent off the message to Jenn that she was at the safe house and was going to remain off the grid until Ultron was dealt with. It was a becoming more difficult in staying one step ahead of Ultron, with each moment that passed he was getting smarter and multiplying like some virus: he was almost everywhere.

The key word was almost.

He still could not penetrate the blocks that Jenn had built up around the mainframe she was connected to at Avengers tower, despite his daily barrage. As much as he was learning so was she and it was a never ending internal battle at doing all she could to keep him out. He was a challenge but she was never one to give up on a challenge. Even now, alone in the lab, she was barely taking a break to get some rest and some sustenance while she finished up the last of her update to the blocks she had put in place. Maria had gone to get some sleep so Jenn was covering the lines in case Tony called with any updates concerning her niece. She wasn't too worried about Ana; she knew better than anyone that her niece would be all right. She had survived much worse… Still, the fact that it was the Hulk that had turned on her – though through no fault of his own – was what got Jenn the most upset. Those two loved each other and their link to each other was the strongest in the family. The fact that the mind witch had managed to block that link and make them nearly kill one another did not settle well with Jenn. A power like that was capable of many things and the fact that woman wielding that power had very nearly succeeded in tearing her family apart made Jenn very angry…

She paused in the middle of her typing, her sense of danger growing by the second. Not turning around, she took in a breath to calm her rising nerves as she resumed her typing. Internally, her system had already sent off an encrypted message of warning to Tony and Maria. Offhandedly, she wondered if he had stolen security clearances from the staff to get to her and then a gentle pang of guilt touched her, knowing those people would have been hurt or worse…

"You are a very difficult person to get a hold of Ms. DuPont," his voice spoke from directly behind and above her, meaning that he was in the preferred body and not one of his drones. He liked to tower over those around him that she knew, an inferiority complex if she ever saw one. She didn't respond to his comment as she continued to type at her console, now setting in a safety mode to the mainframe so he would not have access to anything within. She thought it was funny actually since he could not get to her through the systems he had chosen the direct route.

After a moment of silence, she finally finished up and booted down the work station. She then turned around to come face to chest with Ultron, who had been standing close enough to allow barely a foot of space between them. She didn't give him the satisfaction of backing away or stepping aside, she simply lifted her head and stared up at him, her pale blue eyes revealing none of her thoughts. " _That was the point,_ " she said, the tone of her synthesized voice was hard to determine. " _Yet, here you are anyway…_ "

At this, Ultron let out a loud laugh, still standing too close for comfort. Jenn's eyes had quickly glanced behind him to see that he had several of his drones with him but neither of the Maximoff twins was there. She felt his heavy gaze back on her and she looked up at him, those red optics of his making a slight chill run down her spine.

"You've been making things a little difficult for me," he said, raising a metal hand to gesture to the work station behind her. "All I'm trying to do is make the world a better place but I need to make myself better first. Set an example and all that." He focused his gaze on her eyes, the red optics studying her before they traveled over her expressionless face. "Just like you Jenn – Can I call you Jenn?" He didn't wait for a response as he took a step back, allowing the illusion of a comfortable space between them. "I needed one person, just one, and now I can't find them anywhere. Your doing, as usual." He started walking around her; the tone of his voice wasn't angry but more begrudging respect. "So, I have the items I need to get the body I want yet not the brain I need to make it all work together." He paused and looked at her, his hands folded behind his back. "Since that person is no longer available to me I figured I would get the next best thing. That other guy saw something in you and now that I've gotten to know you I can see what he means."

" _I am no geneticist_ ," said Jenn in reply, already knowing where he was going with this.

"You aren't," said Ultron in agreement as he turned completely around to face her. "But your sister was and she was the leader in her field of research because of your condition. If it wasn't for her knowledge, you wouldn't have had the skill set you have much less be able walk around on your own." He let a smile appear on his face, his lip plates curling back to reveal the strange cavity that he called his mouth. "You'd be stuck inside your own head with no one to hear your cries."

Jenn didn't respond though inside she was seething. Sido was still a very personal and sore spot with her.

"You are the step in the right direction," he continued as he started walking back toward her. "A beautiful blend between man and machine… You only need room for improvement and that's where I come in. I improve you and you use the wonderful skills you have to integrate Dr. Cho's research notes to improve me. I'll even reconsider sparing you. It's a win a win!"

Jenn looked up at Ultron as he came to a stop in front of her, once more barely allowing a foot of space in between them. " _I don't need improvement,_ " she said, feeling her heart hammering in her chest.

"We all can make room for a little improvement," he said as one of his drones walked up and held out Loki's scepter. He took it as the blue gem began to glow and he held it out, the tip of hovering just over the center of Jenn's brow. "We sometimes just need a little… persuasion. It's amazing what you organics can miss…"

Ignoring the alarmed and frightened look in Jenn’s eyes, he quickly touched the tip of the scepter to her brow and pale blue light spread around her face. In a matter of moments, the blue light spread and then focused in her eyes where they now gave an eerie blue glow. Jenn immediately began to relax from her tense stance and she watched Ultron expectantly, waiting for his next move. At the sight of her complacent nature, he let out another laugh and took a step back. "See? So much easier… "He looked around the lab. “Hmm… I should destroy this place… but then they won't have a way of finding us at all and that would be boring… Knowing you, you would have blocked yourself from accessing the system anyway. Ah well… next time. Shall we go?"

" _Lead the way,_ " said Jenn, her eyes now matching her expressionless face.

Ultron's laugh was one of enjoyment as he indeed led the way, reaching out to personally take Jenn by the waist and crashing his way out of one of the expansive windows, his drones following after him. Just moments later, Maria had managed to bypass the lock on the doors to the lab and stumbled inside, her gun aimed. She managed to catch sight of the group of drones flying off into the horizon and the fact that Jenn was nowhere to be seen was all that she needed to know.

"Shit…" Maria said, lowering her gun before she turned and left the lab. She had to make some calls and one of them she was not looking forward too.


	72. Tense Muscles and Anger

_You got no strings_

_coucou-couça_

_I've got strings but entre nous_

_I'd cut my strings for you…_

**I've Got No Strings** – Pinocchio, Disney

-o-

Chapter 72: Tense Muscles and Anger

Tense muscles and anger seemed to be the most prevalent of symptoms that Tony Stark was feeling since the mission had gone belly up. Not to mention the message he had just finished reading, which had made things even worse. A part of him wondered if it was a side effect of having a telepathic link with the family that he had.

After checking on Bruce and the twins (seeing his friend and brother holding his godchildren close was a scene that damn near broke his heart) Tony had gone outside to chop wood with Steve Rogers. He was looking for something – _anything_ – to keep his hands and mind busy after what he had found out from Jenn. He didn't have the heart to tell Bruce of what had happened, not yet anyway. The task of chopping wood with Captain America had been a less than fruitful endeavor. Steve was being slightly less than cordial to the billionaire genius while they discussed where Thor had gone off to and what their next step could possibly be. The team had been torn apart in the worst way possible and the enemy didn't even have to lift a finger to do it. The discussion would have escalated to something worse had Laura Barton not come out at that moment to ask Tony for his help in looking at their broken John Deere tractor.

Tony obliged and had gone to the barn to take a look at the old tractor but instead of a broken down John Deere he was met with the face of the former SHIELD director. That had been slight salt upon an open wound and so he had to deal with the judgmental looks and words from Nick Fury as they discussed back and forth the current situation on Ultron. It was at that moment that Nick had attempted to drop the bomb that Jennifer DuPont had been compromised and was more than likely helping Ultron in whatever scheme he was hatching. Of course, Tony had already received the message that Jenn had sent to him: A warning and an urgency to locate Jarvis as soon as possible – he would be the key to stopping Ultron.

That was when the anger that had been brimming beneath the surface finally erupted and Tony Stark turned on the spot to slam a fist against the side of the tractor. He took in a few deep breaths to calm his anger as he pulled his fist back, his knuckles now bloody from the force of the hit. He stared at his knuckles, a muscle ticking in clenched jaw. "I didn't feel it," he said to Fury as he dropped his fist and shook his head. "Why didn't I feel it? That witch… She did something to Ana's link with everyone and now we're all in the dark."

"Any idea when Cin might wake up?" asked Fury, watching the billionaire with slight concern in his one good eye. "She might be able to help us find where Ultron would have taken Jenn with her link."

"No," said Tony, passing a glance at the older man. "Erai might be of some help. He's Cin's twin, he might be able to reestablish the links… But Jenn had already given me a good idea as to what Ultron's plan for the vibranium is."

"And that would be?"

"Get the others together," said Tony in response as he covered his bloody knuckles with his other hand. "Got some planning to do…" He studied Fury at that moment before he turned and left the barn. He had to get his family back together, he created this mess and now he was going to fix it.

-o-

Back at the farm house, the Avengers had gathered around the table in the Bartons' dining room for an impromptu meeting. It was well into the evening by this time and all of the kids had been put to bed. At the table, it seemed there was still a slight divide between that of Tony and Steve. Both men were standing at opposite ends of the table with the others in between them. Bruce and Erai were the ones sitting closest Tony acting as a not so subtle sign to the others. Meanwhile, Cammie was on the Quinjet, keeping an eye on Ana while they were having their meeting.

"Here we are," said Tony, a dangerous glint in his hazel eyes. "'Earth's mightiest heroes' who'd been played by a couple of mutated kids. They got the better of us." He shook his head as he took in a breath. "I can admit fault with starting this mess and I intend to clean it up. Ultron was keeping us busy, letting the Maximoffs play their mind games with us to buy himself some time." He pulled out his personal device and pulled up the files and message that Jenn had sent to him prior to her abduction. He passed it over to Bruce, who took a glance at the files, his face sporting a very deep frown. "The amount of vibranium he made off with means he's planning on building something. More than one thing according to Jenn's message."

Bruce finished looking over the files and leaned over to hand the device to Natasha so she and the others could take a look. "Jenn was always one step ahead of Ultron. She had Dr. Helen Cho go into hiding and it seemed for good reason since he took Jenn instead…" He shook his head as he and Tony shared a look, both men were looking particularly pissed off at that. "Whatever he's planning on building requires knowledge on how to use the Cradle…"

"Which means what?" asked Steve as he took the device from Natasha and took a look over the files, not understanding what the two geniuses were explaining.

"He's planning on making a new body for himself," said Tony, his fingers drumming anxiously against his bicep. "Or at least that's one of the things Jenn was able to predict. What else he has planned for the rest of the vibranium she wasn't able to find out. Or if she did, she wasn't able to get that to me before he took her."

"So he's going to use the Cradle to make a new body?" asked Clint, a look of doubt touching his features. "But Dr. Cho is in hiding, there's no way he'd be able to use it the way he has planned."

"That's where Jenn comes in," said Bruce, leaning forward in his seat to take a look at the other man. "She's like a living, breathing computer herself. With the vast knowledge of Dr. Cho's research at her disposal, she can find a way to implement the Cradle to make it work the way Ultron wants."

"When was she taken?" asked Natasha, a worried look in her eyes as she glanced at Bruce.

"Several hours ago," said Fury, all eyes focusing on him. "According to Maria Hill, he had infiltrated the tower and abducted Ms. DuPont. If she was correct in her prediction, he may have taken her to Dr. Cho's labs to get to work on the Cradle."

"So we have a destination, do we have a plan in mind?" asked Steve, his gaze focusing on Tony.

"He's still going after the launch codes," said Tony in reply as he began to pace. "I'm gonna contact some of our friends at NEXUS and see if I can pinpoint where our friend is who's keeping Ultron on his toes."

"NEXUS?" asked Steve.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo," said Bruce in answer to the soldier's question. "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth." He focused his gaze on Tony. "Think you'll find him there?"

Tony looked at Bruce and gave a firm nod. "If he didn't realize Jenn was taken by now, he'll find out soon enough and when he does he'll come looking for me. I'll be there."

"Are you talking about JARVIS?" asked Fury, a glint of interest catching in his eye. "Another one of yours, right?"

Tony glanced at the former director. "Jarvis has been the one responsible for changing the launch codes and helping Jenn in keeping Ultron away from our systems. Now with Jenn gone, I'm going to need to locate him and get him back in our systems to keep Ultron out."

"What makes you think Jenn hasn't already given Ultron access?" asked Natasha.

"She locked herself out of the mainframe as a precaution," said Bruce in answer. "Jenn knew that Ultron was going to come for all of us but he had a particular interest in her. She knew he would come for her at some point so she made sure she didn't have access against her own blocks if she was compromised…" He took in a breath to calm his rising temper. He was glad that Ana was not awake to be witness to all of this.

"We got an ally," said Fury, a thoughtful look on his face. "But with Jenn now working with Ultron thanks to that magic stick of Loki's we now have another enemy against us and no idea what else he has planned up his sleeve…"

"While this has been fun boss," said Natasha, focusing her gaze on the former director. "I was kinda hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that."

Fury straightened up at this and a slight smirk appeared. "I do," he said, "I have you. Back in the day I had eyes and ears everywhere." He started pacing around the table, his eye on each member of the team he had helped to build. "Yet here we all are, back on earth with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. So… stand." He came to a pause in front of Tony and his smirk deepened. "Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk," said Natasha, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"You know what, Romanoff," said Steve as he dropped his arms, a mock frown on his face. However, it had done the trick and the little quip had helped to ease the tensions that had been thick amongst the group.

"We have a good idea of what Ultron has planned and a destination, thanks to those allies we could count on," said Steve after the lighthearted moment had faded, his eyes landing on Bruce and Tony with a meaningful look. He knew that despite the shit storm that they had unintentionally created that they had suffered those most because of it. "Let's not waste the chance they gave us."

They all gave a nod of agreement, their thoughts inadvertently falling back one of their own still lying unconscious on a gurney.

"I'll take Natasha and Clint," said Steve, his mind already formulating and strategizing.

"Alright, strictly recon," said Tony in agreement as he straightened up out of the tense posture he had been in. "I'll hit the NEXUS and join you as soon as I can."

"If Ultron is really building a body…" Steve glanced at the billionaire genius.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us… Maybe all of us," said Tony, for the first time even he looked worried. "With Jenn helping him, who knows what will be created."

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest things science ever created was me," said Steve, shaking his head with a heavy sigh.

"I'll drop Banner off at the tower," said Fury as the rest of the group began to get up. "Do you mind if-"

"I'm not going," said Bruce, his brown eyes focused on the former director.

All eyes turned to the good doctor as he remained seated his in chair but his gaze remained focused on Fury.

"We're going to need your help Dr. Banner," said Fury, a hint of hesitation in his tone. He was afraid of testing the man's temper considering everything that had happened.

"I know," Bruce said as he ran a hand through his hair. "But my children are here and my wife is lying unconscious on a gurney…" He let out a heartless chuckle as he shook his head. "I don't even know when she's going to wake up... _If_ she's going to wake up... Her aunt was kidnapped by a psychopathic AI I helped create and this whole situation is all kinds of fucked and I can't… I…" He shook his head again as the calm he had been trying to keep in front of the others had finally snapped. "I don't know how I can help you when I can't even help my family… I just-"

A hand had reached out at that moment and rested on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that Natasha had come to sit beside him, a soft and understanding smile on her face. "We get it Bruce… It's all right. Stay here with Ana and the twins… They need you, right guys?" She turned to look at the others, her gaze pleading to the rest of the team, aside from Tony and Erai, to understand the doctor's hesitation.

"Big Guy, it's all right if you need to stay here," said Tony, reaching out to pat his other shoulder. "The team and I got this… If anything goes down, Erai can head out in support." He looked at the tall Lyttan in question, who gave a nod in agreement. "You just make sure you stay close to my little sister and my godkids, all right?"

"Either way Dr. Banner, we're gonna rescue Jenn and stop Ultron," said Steve, reminding everyone as to the reason why they were fighting in the first place.

It was a moment of silence before Clint spoke up. "Laura will make sure Ana's comfortable and the kids are all right for now and then we can get them moved to the other safe house we discussed…"

Bruce looked torn before he slowly got to his feet. "Give me a moment… Just... I..." He shook his head and turned and left the room. A moment later the sound of the front door could be heard.

"He's going to go with you," said Tony to Fury, knowing Bruce as he did. "Just give him some time with Ana and the kids… He'll be along."

"I'll borrow Maria Hill if you don't mind," said Fury, still feeling slightly awkward over the whole scene. He didn't have a family himself, never had the time to, so he honestly couldn't say he could understand what the doctor was going through. Yet, he could sympathize.

"By all means, she's all yours, apparently… I'll be back, gotta say goodbye," said Tony before he turned and left the room, no doubt to see the twins.

The rest of the team began to disperse, though they had a new mission there was still that uncertainty in the air with all that had gone on. Who knew what would be waiting for them this time…

-o-

"Everything is coming along rather nicely," the female voice that spoke had a French accent, rather graceful tones that belied the emotionless pale blue eyes that were studying the computer console in front of her. Her body was comprised of a mix of flesh and metal, blended together to create a seamless integration of cybernetics and the human body. The metal part of her body was a pure silver affair with some flashes of cobalt blue tones to add some cosmetic touches. The metal had been completely fused with her limbs and torso and stopped at her jawline, allowing her the control of her own mouth and giving her own voice for the first time in her life. Intricate and delicate connections had been made with her nervous system and the internal cybernetic systems of her new body. Her cybernetics was powered by the arc reactor that had been implanted directly into her sternum over her heart. She was now a true cyborg by the very definition of the word.

"Ah Jenn, you truly are a wonder," said Ultron as he looked into the Cradle, seeing his new body coming to fruition as the synthetic tissue blended with the vibranium. "Soon, there'll truly be no strings on me..."

On the other side of Dr. Cho's lab, the Maximoff twins were watching the two of them with slight frowns on their faces. Wanda Maximoff had had her reservations about using one of Stark's people for this but Ultron had been set on obtaining this Jennifer DuPont. When she had arrived and before Ultron had done the "improvements" he had on her, Wanda had taken a look inside the woman's mind. The memories she had found there had been heartbreaking and sweet. Before Ultron had gotten a hold of her, her main concern had been for her family. It was always her family's safety above herself; even now Wanda could sense the subconscious desire for the safety of her family – which included Tony Stark. Yet, the discovery of the twins that belonged to the couple who had been monsters... That had been the one thing to stick to Wanda. The thought that those twins may have lost their mother... Because of her...

For the first time since they had agreed to help Ultron in his revenge against Tony Stark and the Avengers, Wanda was beginning to feel the slight signs of true regret and remorse…


	73. It Didn't Feel Right

_It's not a prison_

_It's not a demon_

_It's not a sin_

_No_

_It's a state of mind I find myself in…_

**Rescue** – Hunter Hayes

-o-

Chapter 73: It Didn't Feel Right

It didn't feel right to leave her.

It never did.

From the very first moment they had met and throughout the entire time they had been together, Bruce had always felt that hesitance when there were situations they had to be apart. This one was no different. In fact, it seemed to be even worse than all the previous times because she was unconscious. He wouldn't be able to hear her voice, to feel her kisses in farewell, and the promises of being together again soon. He thrived on each and every promise she gave to him: That she would be there and she would always be by his side. He would always promise her the same thing in return.

Their whispered words of _Mine… Always…_

That was theirs and theirs alone.

Sitting here beside her gurney in the guest bedroom of Clint's home, Bruce was holding tightly onto her hand and trying his best not to let the guilt and worry get to him. He had Laura Barton's assurances that she and Cammie would take care of her and that the twins would be kept out of harm's way until they would be transferred to the other safe house. It was a good idea that they all should split up…

Yet…

"I'll be back as soon as I can," said Bruce, his warm brown eyes studying his wife's face. "Beccie and Luc will be here with you so you won't be alone… Once this is over, we'll leave everything behind. We'll go home and stay there… Or we can find a new place. Somewhere you've never been before. How's that sound?" A small smile appeared on his lips. "Just us and the kids… No more fighting… I promise…" He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss against her brow. "I love you Ana... Please come back to me."

"Hey Big Guy, you ready?"

Bruce glanced up to catch sight of Tony standing in the doorway of the bedroom, the look on his face was hard to determine. One would have said it was impassive at best but the moment his hazel eyes had landed on Ana's still form, a muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. He entered the bedroom, his eyes glancing at Bruce before focusing back on Ana. He stopped beside Bruce and crouched down so he was level with his little sister.

"Hey kiddo," he said, a slight smile touching his goateed face. "We're gonna be gone awhile so just wanted to let you know to hang tight. We're gonna take Ultron down and get Jenn back." The smile had faded a little as he looked at Bruce. "We're gonna make this right."

Bruce gave a nod in reply, pressing one last kiss to Ana's brow before he gently released her hand. He got to his feet, nervously rubbing his hands on his slacks as he looked at his best friend. "Let's go."

-o-

The remaining team of Avengers had left the Barton home and parted ways to get their own particular missions done. While Bruce hitched a ride with Fury to get back to the tower and Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye made their way to Seoul, Tony had made his way to Oslo, Norway to get to the NEXUS. The techs who worked at this location had been given a heads up that Tony Stark would be on his way so when he had arrived he had been met by one of them. The world hub tech was a quiet spoken man, not very remarkable. In fact, instead of being star struck by the fact that Tony Stark was there, he looked rather disgruntled at having been disturbed from his work. Tony had to admit it was pretty funny.

Once the tech had shown him where he could connect directly with the servers, Tony got his equipment ready as he got himself settled in. "All right Jarvis… I know you could be anywhere," he muttered to himself as he started getting himself logged in.

"How are you going to find this hacker?" asked the tech, his interest now peaked as he watched Tony begin to work.

"This is the center for everything," said Tony as he continued to work. "I'm just a guy looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack." He allowed a slight smirk. "But, if you bring a magnet it helps narrow down the search." He started getting to work, ignoring the tech who had been watching him for a moment before the man decided to leave him alone.

Tony hummed playfully to himself as he started the search for his wayward AI. "All right buddy, come and find me… Gonna need your help to get your girlfriend back."

-o-

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours but we can initiate the consciousness stream."

Jennifer DuPont was studying her console while the Cradle continued its work on creating the body that Ultron desired. Her pale blue eyes were still bearing the eerie glow of the mind control from the scepter, even though the scepter was no more. The blue gem that had been the crowning piece of the scepter had proven to be no more than a cradle itself, housing a glowing, bright yellow stone. That stone had been imbedded into the forehead of the new body, for what purpose was none of Jenn's concern.

"We're uploading your cerebral matrix… now," Jenn finished the connection between Ultron and the body, her gaze still focused on the console in front of her. She had been that way for quite some time, her gaze intently focused on her work and never once looking up to any of the others in the room.

Wanda had certainly noticed this and she had been monitoring the woman's subconscious, noting that the desire to save her family was growing stronger and stronger. It was coming close to overriding the mind control, not quite but almost. Wanda could also sense several telepathic connections to this woman that were getting stronger by the hour. She could not pinpoint exactly what they were but they were similar to the link between the couple from before – not as strong but similar. She wondered if it meant the mother of those twins was indeed healing… She seemed to be the center of this telepathic link she sensed.

At that moment, a steady flow of images began to flow into her mind. There was no clear picture but it had pulled her from her concentration of the cyborg woman. It was coming from the body that was currently resting in the Cradle. She focused her gaze on the Cradle before she looked Ultron and then at Jenn. "I can read him… He is dreaming."

"Not necessarily," said Jenn as she finally glanced up from her monitor to look at Wanda. Her glowing, pale blue eyes were still eerie. "It is more like Ultron's base consciousness. Informational white noise… Soon though, you should be seeing more coherent thoughts."

"How soon?" asked Ultron, his red optics studying the woman. When her gaze met with his, he could see the slight annoyance beneath the glow in her eyes; no doubt she was a stubborn thing even now. He would not admit that he liked that. He held out a hand in a calming gesture. "I'm not being pushy."

"Imprinting a physical brain – even one as advanced as yours – takes time," said Jenn, focusing her gaze back on the console in front of her. "That stone you imbedded has been helping the process but it has not made it an instant-"

A sudden scream interrupted Jenn's commentary and all eyes focused on Wanda, the horrified look on her face telling a tale of its own. Her gaze had focused on Ultron at that moment. "How could you?"

"How could I what?" asked Ultron, his gaze focusing on the enhanced young woman.

Wanda did not respond to his query, instead she took on a defensive stance. Her twin Pietro automatically sensed the tension and moved to stand closer to his sister. "You said we would destroy the Avengers," she said, the frown on her face growing deep. "Make a better world."

Ultron turned to face the twins. "It will be better."

"When everyone is dead," she spat, her tension rising. Immediately, an image of the toddler twins popped into her mind. They were absolutely adorable – all dark brown curls and bright smiles. Her gaze flicked to Jenn, seeing the glow in her eyes dimming slightly. Wanda knew now that she and her brother had made a mistake. They had to stop this monster.

"That is not-" Ultron began, already backpedaling as he tried to find a way to salvage this situation. He still needed their help. "The human race will have every opportunity to improve."

"And if they don't?" asked Pietro, catching Ultron's attention and giving his twin sister a chance to get Jenn back to herself. While Ultron was distracted, going off on a monologue about the extinction level events that had hit earth before, Wanda had made a few subtle gestures with her hands. The red glow that emitted from her hands was reflected in Jenn's eyes and a split second later the eerie glow of the mind control had ceased. She blinked once and then twice as she came back to herself. She looked at the younger woman in question, her face remaining the blank mask it had been. It was a good thing since Ultron had not noticed the change. Wanda's gaze was filled with regret and pleading, her message clear: _Stop him_

"Life," said Ultron in response to Pietro, who had asked who decided on who the weak were. "Life always decides. He paused as an incoming signal pinged in his internal systems. "There's incoming… The Quinjet. We have to move."

Jenn, seeing that Ultron's attention was focused elsewhere, immediately set to work on the console and started to slow down the upload of his conscious to the body. A direct disconnect would alert him and she was in a precarious position right now. Just as she was finishing, a wave of dizziness swept over her and she fell unconscious, slumping over the console in a dead faint. Wanda had managed to get one last trick in an attempt to save the older woman from Ultron's machinations before Pietro took her and they sped out of the room. It was their unspoken rule for survival: Save each other first and foremost.

"Ah wait, guys!" Ultron called out to them before he let out a muttered curse. He glanced around and caught sight of the slumped form of Jenn, clearly unconscious. His displeasure was growing. "They'll understand. When they see, they'll understand." He unplugged himself from the Cradle as a couple of his drone went to pick up Jenn to take her along with them. "I just need a little more time."

-o-

What happened next was a lot of chasing by Captain America and his team, a lot of property damage, and a surprising assist from the Maximoff twins. While Hawkeye and Black Widow were busy trying to get the Cradle and rescue Jenn, Captain America was keeping Ultron busy and managed to get the AI separated from the truck – which the drones had taken and were attempting to fly off – with unexpected help from the Maximoff twins so that way Black Widow could get to the Cradle.

Black Widow had managed to get into the back of the truck to see the unconscious form of Jenn slumped against the Cradle. She had paused in surprise at the sight of her, she was clothed but her arms and legs were visible. She had metal melded with the skin of her arms and legs and the sight of the metal around her jaw made Nat feel slightly sick to her stomach.

"Jesus, what did that maniac do to you," she muttered as she moved over to carefully lift Jenn up from the floor and on set her on top of the lid of the Cradle, quickly locating a spare tie down that had been used to secure the Cradle. Barely giving a moment's hesitation, she tied Jenn to the Cradle, wrapping the rope securely around her torso. This was going to be a precarious way to deliver both the Cradle and the woman but it was the only option. After Jenn was secure to the Cradle, Black Widow overheard a transmission from Hawkeye that he was going to shoot the truck since he had a clean shot.

"Negative," said Black Widow as she started to get the Cradle unsecured from the tie downs around it. "I am still in the truck."

"What the hell are you…?"

"Just be ready," she said. "I've secured our missing person and the package. I'm sending both to you."

"How do you want me to take it?" he asked as he flew the Quinjet closer to the truck.

"Uh," she hesitated as she looked at Jenn and the Cradle, feeling slight hesitation before she decided on her course of action. "You might wish you hadn't asked that…"

With that, she pushed the Cradle toward the open doors of the back of the truck. When she caught sight of the Quinjet, the hatch open to receive the package, she felt a deep sense of relief. She kept on pushing until finally the Cradle slid off the back and right into the open hatch, Jenn's black hair waving wildly in the speeding wind. Black Widow was about to jump off the truck and into the hatch after the Cradle when she felt something grab her foot. She barely caught a glimpse of a metal arm before she was knocked unconscious.

"Nat, we gotta go!" Hawkeye said over his headset but he didn't receive a response. "Nat!" Still no response. "Cap! You see Nat?"

"If you have the package, get it to Stark," was the reply from Captain America.

Hawkeye hesitated, his gaze still searching for his best friend but at the prompted "Go!" from the team leader, he let out a curse before he closed the hatch to the jet and flew off. They had rescued their missing person but now they were missing yet another member... Hawkeye was cursing this entire situation out but he had to get Jenn and the Cradle back to Stark before he could get on finding his best friend.


	74. Awareness was a Blessing

_When I remember the days_

_Beautiful days_

_Tenderly gleaming_

_My whole life seeming_

_To start and end with you_

_Visions of you in shades of blue…_

**Visions** – Cliff Richards

-o-

Chapter 74: Awareness was a Blessing

Awareness was a blessing as far as Jenn was concerned.

The moment she started coming to, she could hear the deep voices of familiar males not too far from wherever she was. The internal computer systems of her suit – no, her _body_ – was running smoothly and the flow of data she was receiving meant she was connected wirelessly to servers. They were familiar servers that made up the mainframe of Avengers Tower and Stark Industries. It seemed she had been rescued and Tony had managed to give her access back to the mainframe.

She slowly sat up, her straight black hair falling like a curtain around her face. She reached a hand up, ignoring the sight of platinum and dark blue metal melded with her arm, and gently ran a hand across her jawline. The metal and skin meld were there as well; she could feel the metallic gears and joints mixed with the muscles and tendons that now made up her new jaw and mouth. She felt her heart sink, the realization that Ultron had essentially made her more of a robot than she already was hitting her pretty hard. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes as the emotion began to build – a part of her joyous at the fact that she still had that human ability. She could feel her lungs filling with each breath she took, her new body working in a seamless way as compared to her previous suit. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, taking in the new situation that she had a new body and was finally in full control of it. Being under the mind control of Ultron had been the second most terrible experience of her life – it was like she had been a full quadriplegic again. She had been aware of what was going on, but she could not move, could do little to stop herself from helping him…

While these thoughts ran rampant in her mind, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. She was in a lab – Tony's lab to be precise – and she was resting on a gurney in the far end of the room. She could see the Cradle in the distance and the forms of three men talking amongst themselves. Moving carefully, she got up from the gurney and slowly moved toward where they were, still feeling unsure of her new body. As she came upon them, she noted that the Cradle still harbored the new body that Ultron had been wanting. She came to a stop beside it and peered inside, studying the body she helped create with faint interest. The yellow light of that powerful stone glowing in the center of its brow was still a sight to see, even with her new awareness. A part of her was slightly in awe that she had managed to help create this…

The sound of her name being called brought her out of her reverie and she glanced up just in time to see Bruce, Tony and Clint had finally noticed her. It was Bruce who had first noticed her by the Cradle and the look of utter relief on his face was evidence of the fact that he had been worried about her. He made his way toward her and, without hesitation, pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

Jenn, surprised by Bruce's lack of discomfort by her new body, started to feel the tears in her eyes. She hesitated at first but then returned the hug with exuberance, a soft sob escaping her throat. The utter relief that she was back with those she called family was palpable and her sobs continued as Bruce held her close. After a moment of heartfelt sobbing, she pulled away from Bruce and reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks, her metal fingers glinting under the fluorescent lights. "I am sorry _mon ami_ ," she said, "I did not mean to get your shirt all wet. I am just so relieved to be home…"

There was a moment of silence as all three men looked at Jenn as if seeing her for the first time. She was beginning to feel worried at their silence when Tony raised a hand and ran it through his hair. "Well, at least that psycho inadvertently did some good…" he muttered before he focused his gaze back on Jenn. “It's good to hear your actual voice Jenn. We were worried."

"How ya holding up?" asked Clint, his gaze studying the woman with obvious concern. He, out of everyone, understood what she had gone through. Despite her new body and jawline, she thankfully still retained her human facial features so that she still looked enough like herself. He wasn't uncomfortable with how she looked before yet with Ultron's work on her she would be having an even harder time of trying to blend in with a crowd.

"I've been better Clint," said Jenn as she glanced at him, understanding passing unsaid between them, before her pale blue eyes went back to Bruce and Tony. "Has there been any change with Ana?"

Bruce and Tony glanced at one another before looking at the woman and both giving a shake of their heads.

"Erai says she will wake up at some point," said Tony, turning around to glance at the Cradle. "She is in what he called a 'healing sleep.'"

Jenn let out a soft sigh as she reached up to pull back her hair from her face. " _Oui_ ," she said. "She had been on such a state only once before. She will wake up when she is good and ready."

Bruce, who had had a deep frown on his face during this conversation, took on a hopeful expression as he looked at his wife's aunt. "She's been through this before? She will definitely wake up?"

Jenn glanced at the good doctor, noting the shift in his expression and demeanor, and she gave a soft smile. " _Oui_. The last and only time it had happened had been shortly after Sido and her team had rescued Ana from the LIFE Foundation. She had taken extensive damage from the last experiment that had been done on her. She had fallen into that same coma and did not wake up until two days later."

"Was it in her records?" Tony asked as he turned away from the Cradle and walked over to a nearby console. He hadn't recalled such a thing when he had been updating his own records of Cin and Ana after each Avengers mission. He had access to Jenn's mainframe back at the DuPont manor; he didn't think to check anything on it with this whole Ultron business going on.

" _Oui,_ " said Jenn for the third time as she focused her attention on the billionaire. We didn't think anything of it at the time when Sido had made the record of it. She thought it had been a simple fainting spell. You can trust Erai on this one. He would know better than anyone, even myself. Even now, the links amongst the family are becoming stronger. She will be waking up and soon."

The look on Bruce's face was utter relief and Jenn couldn't help but wonder just how deep his guilt and grief had run. This entire situation had affected him more than any of them and she hoped against all hope that their family would be all right…

"Thank you for coming for me," said Jenn as she focused her gaze on Clint, her pale blue eyes filled with emotion. "I know it was at great risk."

Clint folded his arms across his chest he gave a stiff nod in reply to her thanks. "Nat got caught… but we're gonna find her."

"Any chance Natasha might leave you a message outside the internet?" asked Tony, his gaze focusing on Clint. "Old school spy stuff?"

Clint glanced at Tony as he took in a breath to calm his rising tension. "There's some nets I can cast." He sighed as he dropped his arms and gave a firm nod, a plan now coming into fruition. "Yeah, alright… I'll find her." He looked at Bruce and Jenn before he turned and left the lab.

Once he was gone, Bruce turned to Jenn as he started to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. "I can work on tissue degeneration. Do you think you'd be able to fry whatever operational system you implanted?"

"Yeah, about that…" Tony turned to look at Bruce and Jenn, the look in his hazel eyes clear.

Bruce studied his best friend for a split second before understanding hit him. "No."

"You have to trust me," said Tony, taking a step toward the good doctor.

Bruce shook his head, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "After everything that’s happened –"

"Do you trust me, Bruce?" asked Jenn, her pale blue eyes focused him as he glanced at her in question. Seeing she had caught Tony's attention, she looked at the billionaire. "Did you find him?"

Tony smiled at that before he turned back to the console he was working on and pulled up a familiar hologram that represented a consciousness thought lost in the internet.

"Hello Jenn," said Jarvis, his tone could be described as close to relieved as a computerized voice could sound. The smile that Jenn gave in response was more obvious in stating her feelings at that moment and it was quite a sight. No one had ever seen Jenn smile before. There was a moment of silence before Jarvis seemed to remember the other person in the room. "Dr. Banner..."

A choking sound could be heard and all eyes turned to find Tony covering his mouth to hide the smug laughter that was threatening to come through.

Bruce ignored the antics of his friend and focused his attention back on Jenn. "Are you saying you want to put Jarvis into that body?"

"You're expertise in bio-organics is what ensured a way for me to fully live in the first place Bruce," said Jenn, her pale blue eyes studying him with affection. "Without you, without Tony, I would still be in a bed unable to even breathe on my own. I would not be able to do this on my own as quickly. Believe me when I say this will work but only with your help."

Bruce hesitated, the doubt still evident in his brown eyes. "Would Jarvis' operational matrix be able to beat Ultron's?"

"With my help," said Jenn. "Jarvis and I will be able to override any glitches and errors that are present in Ultron's."

"I believe it's worth a go," said Jarvis, his confidence in Jenn's abilities were par none. Tony was merely standing there, smiling in that cheeky way of his as he watched the conversation go back and forth between his two most favorite people to work with.

A muscle ticked in Bruce's jaw before he let out a curse and gave a hesitant nod. "Fine! Fine… But this better work! I don't want a repeat of last time."

Jenn smiled at this as she turned on her heel and made her way to a console closest to the Cradle. " _Mon ami,_ this is nothing like last time."

Tony laughed outright as he went back to his console, rather grateful that he had Jenn around. He started to get to work when a sudden thought hit him. "Hey Jarvis."

"Yes Mr. Stark?"

"When you get in this body and this whole Ultron business is done with, you're taking Jenn out for a night on the town. On me buddy."

"… Of course sir…" replied the AI, unsure as to how to even process such a request.

"Knock it off Tony," said Jenn and the billionaire glanced over at her to see she was sporting an impressive blush in her cheeks. He gave her a smug grin and winked at her. Bruce simply shook his head, deciding it was better to ignore the antics of his best friend.

Still, with everything that was going on, it was nice to have some familiarity around again…


	75. It Was Not Compatible

_I know you_

_I walked with you_

_Once upon a dream_

_I know you_

_That look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam_

_And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem_

_But if I know you_

_I'll know what you'll do_

_You'll love me at once_

_The way you did once upon a dream…_

**Once Upon a Dream** – Sleeping Beauty, Disney

-o-

Chapter 75: It Was Not Compatible

It was not compatible to the framework of that Jenn was certain. It didn't help that Tony voiced the exact same thought at that precise moment, making her worry grow just a little. She had been confident that this would work, that it would be a successful transition. Yet, the integration program that they had been developing over the past several hours was not connecting as accurately as Jenn had originally calculated. The body was putting up one hell of a fight.

Bruce had been hard at work at his work station, watching the readings of the integration program while Jenn continued to oversee the stability of the body. "The genetic coding tower's at ninety seven percent," he said as he looked up from his console and focused his gaze on Tony and Jenn. "You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

Jenn frowned in response to this statement, which was quite a sight in and of itself. Her new body had restored the nervous system response to her muscles and seeing the emotion displayed on her face was something else. Tony had noticed and couldn't help the thought that she looked very much like Sido at that moment. Tossing that thought aside, he focused back on his workstation and started the upload process of Jarvis' consciousness to the body. Jenn let out a breath to ease her tension as she focused back on her own console and monitored the readings of the body while the schematic was being uploaded.

The sound of rushing footsteps thumping heavily against the tiled flooring of the lab caught the attention of the three people hard at work and they all looked up to see Captain America storming his way in, his shield at the ready. Surprisingly, he was being followed by none other than the Maximoff twins and they came to a stop behind the soldier, who had stopped at the sight of three people around the Cradle. His blue eyes studied them for just a heartbeat before understanding shown and the frown appeared on his face.

His stance straightened as he focused his gaze on Tony, his immediate thought process obviously laying the blame on the billionaire. "I'm gonna say this once-"

Tony's hazel gaze focused on the soldier and the hardness in his eyes was clear. He was not pleased at the Captain's timing let alone tone of voice. "How about 'nonce?'"

Steve Rogers was less than amused as he took a step forward, his stance taking on the offensive. "Shut it down!"

"Nope," said the billionaire as he continued working on his console. "Not gonna happen."

"You don't know what you're doing!"

"And you do? You don't even know what's coming!"

"Enough!" Jenn's voice was quick to cut in, interrupting the beginning of another argument between the two men. The sound of her voice had certainly caught the soldier by surprise and he looked at her, the slight shock on his face revealing that he hadn't been aware of the upgrades done to her courtesy of Ultron. "Now is not the time for a dick measuring contest between you two," she said, ignoring the snort of amusement that came from Bruce, no doubt he had been thinking the same thing. "We have more important things to focus on." She focused her pale blue eyes on the Maximoff witch, her gaze distant and cool. Though Wanda had helped Jenn escape from Ultron, she still laid the blame of what happened to her niece at the Maximoff twins' feet. She wasn't going to forgive so easily but now was also not the time for grudges. She needed their cooperation.

Seeing that her train of telepathic thought had caught the witch twin's attention, Jenn tilted her head to the side, pausing in her work on the console in front of her. "Wanda, you've seen into Ultron's mind for that brief moment and whatever you had seen is why you are here to stop this." Seeing the young woman nod, Jenn continued. "Look into the mind now and tell me what you see."

Looking confused but not hesitating, she did as instructed and began to search the thoughts of the immobile body that was still in the Cradle. The others watched the witch as she continued on her telepathic search. After a moment, she focused her gaze on Jenn, the confusion quite clear on her face. "There is nothing. No thoughts, no dreams… But I had seen it! The destruction he had planned!"

"That was Ultron's mind," said Jenn, focusing back on her work of monitoring the progress of the upload to the body. "The upload had never been competed so it did not leave a full imprint. It is essentially a near clean slate." When her gaze met with Wanda's, she caught the look of understanding and she gave a nod. "You've seen into my mind. You've seen my thoughts and my memories. Will you trust me as you had back at Seoul? Believe me when I say this is the only way to improve our chances to stop him."

Wanda looked conflicted and she looked at her twin in answer, who stared back at her with a confused look of his own. Pietro, in all honesty, did not care what this group of people did but if his sister trusted this robot woman to put a stop to Ultron, he would support her.

Steve Rogers was not of the same mind as he focused his gaze on Jenn, taking note of her very clear upgrades, and his frown had grown deep. "This is not a game! You can't play god with something like this! Whatever Ultron did to you, he changed you and not for the better. We can't trust -"

"I'd be very careful about the next words you say Steve," said Bruce, cutting in at that moment as he pushed away from his workstation and went to stand beside Jenn. He was making his intentions quite clear: No one was going to say a word against the woman he called family let alone question her integrity.

Wanda, seeing that Bruce Banner was stepping up and his tension was rising, turned away from her brother and raised a hand, catching everyone's attention. "I know you are all angry-"

"Oh, we're way past that," said Bruce, focusing his attention on the witch for the first time and a hint of green appeared in his eyes. He clenched his fists as he took in a shaking breath, the fact that the young woman who was to blame for his wife's current state was standing there in the same room with him was enough to set him on edge. "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

He had the satisfaction of seeing the witch pale at those words followed by the look of guilt as she quickly took a step back beside her brother. The young man was about to do or say something to the doctor in retaliation but whatever it was, his sister was quick to grab his arm and shake her head. "Don't Pietro. He has every right. It is our fault his wife…" She trailed off this and Pietro frowned in concern, knowing that what they had done to this man and his wife weighed heavily on his sister's heart.

"You can't possibly expect us to just stand here and let you-"

"That is exactly what we expect," said Tony, focusing his attention on Steve once more. It was almost as if that yellow stone was playing a part in the agitation and tension in the room, an echo of déjà vu if there ever was one.

"I trust her," said Wanda, turning her eyes on the soldier. He looked at her in question, the objection already on his tongue but he was silenced by the pleading look on her face. "I trust Ms. DuPont. She wants her family safe. Anything that is done she ensures it is done in a way that means it is as safe as possible for others as well." She looked at her brother and a soft smile appeared. "I've seen her mind. I say we trust her."

Captain America was not pleased at this revelation but he could see that he was outnumbered in this regard. He knew that he wouldn't be quick enough to stop the upload process. It didn't mean he couldn't try. He took his shield in hand, regret and challenge in his eyes. "I'm sorry but I can't stand by and let you do this," he said before he started forward, his aim clear. He was strong enough to destroy the Cradle, if he tried hard enough. He ignored the sounds of protest from the others and he was about to reach his goal when his path was blocked by none other than Thor, who reached from seemingly nowhere and took a hold of Captain America's shoulder. He pulled the man back, his other worldly strength more than a match for the super soldier. Behind him, Hawkeye stood with his arms crossed, watching the entire scene with a slight frown on his face.

"I step away for five minutes…" Hawkeye began before he shook his head with a sigh and looked at Tony with a wary eye. "Can I leave you guys alone for just five minutes without drama exploding?"

Tony simply smirked and shook his head at the agent.

"Let go Thor," began the soldier, his anger quite clear. "We have to stop this thing."

"I've had a vision," said Thor, his hold on Captain America still firm. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that yellow stone in its brow." He pointed his hammer to the Cradle, indicating the body that was currently still undergoing the upload process.

"Thor, are you seriously going to help them create this?" asked Captain America, looking back at the god of thunder.

"It is for a purpose," he said in reply, his electric blue eyes focusing on the other man. "One I hope I will not come to regret," he said this to Jenn, turning his attention to her, not looking surprised at the sight of her new body.

"You won't," said Jenn.

While all of this had been going on, she had been hard at work on monitoring the schematics that had been uploading to the body in the Cradle. It had proven to be a good distraction since she was able to finish calibrating the programs with Jarvis' matrix. She couldn't help the smile as, with the upload almost complete, she received an internal message from Jarvis – a message that was tinged with all the affection an artificial intelligence could convey.

_I will see you soon._

With that, all that was Jarvis once again disappeared from the mainframe but this time he was now in a sole location. A heartbeat and then two before the upload was complete and then there was a sudden surge of energy that was reading off the charts. The Cradle began to tremble and then shake before the lid suddenly popped off and the body that had been lying within rose up – seemingly from some unknown power – before crouching on the edge of the machine. It opened its eyes, a gaze that was unfocused and confused, before they looked around its immediate area.

The group of people was staring at the now very alive body.

No one said a word or moved.

The body was distinctly masculine in appearance with red and metallic gray tones thanks to the mix of vibranium and the simulacrum that had been used. It looked like it was wearing its own sort of armored body suit. It studied the group of people who had witnessed its birth before it turned its head and its eyes met with Jenn's pale blue ones. She had been standing closest to the Cradle, having monitored and ensured that its life would come to be.

Recognitions seemed to spark in its gaze as it studied the cyborg woman, who studied it in turn. The silence stretched on a bit before the being opened its mouth and spoke. "You look… familiar…." It reached out a hand and very gently caressed Jenn's jawline, studying the mix of metal and flesh that resembled its own. "Do I… know you?"

The voice that spoke was Jarvis' and the moment Jenn heard it her heart nearly ached at the thought that her Jarvis was no longer. He would have known her, of that she was certain. It had not been a perfect integration but it had been successful. Still, the tears were welling up in her eyes as she gave a sad watery smile to the being in front of her – this being who sounded like Jarvis.

" _Une fois que… dans un rêve,_ " said Jenn as the tears began to spill over.

The being, which looked and sounded male, frowned in concern as he reached up to swipe the tears away from her cheek with his thumb. "You are crying."

"Do not worry," she said as she took a step back away from him. "It is nothing…" She looked at the others, her gaze met with Tony's – he smiled at her in a sad way – before her eyes focused on Captain America and Thor. "Well then… I would call it a success, _non_?"

Tony let out a bark of laughter, breaking the tension that had been lingering in the lab…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Une fois que… dans un rêve." = Once… In a dream


	76. After All of the Excitement

_So be bold_

_Be brave_

_Be strong_

_And show them that stone walls can fall_

_And sometimes it feels like we're going nowhere fast_

_For every step forward take two steps right back_

_I hope it helps to know I'll help however I can_

_Cause I am an ally and I am a friend…_

**Ally** – We the Kings

-o-

Chapter 76: After All of the Excitement

After all of the excitement that had transpired, Jenn was grateful for the moment of quiet that followed Tony's laughter. The others had begun to talk not to long after though, already discussing the very being that she helped create and the implication of such a thing being alive. As they talked around her, she felt a hand on her arm and she turned her attention to Bruce, who had been standing beside her throughout the entire ordeal. She could see the concern in those warm brown eyes and she only gave a tired, halfhearted smile. Despite her new body, she realized she was fatigued and, without a word to the others, she turned and left the lab to get to Tony's loft.

She needed a moment, whether to mourn the loss of the AI she had not fully acknowledged that she loved or to process all that had happened thus far, she wasn't sure. As she made her way into the loft, she could sense that one of the others was following her. She couldn't hear the thumping of footsteps but she had that feeling of being watched and followed. Whoever it was had the power of levitation or flight so it ruled out the majority of the others. She didn't turn around to acknowledge the being who was trailing after her steps as she walked across the expanse of the loft. She only stopped when she made it to the large, expansive windows that overlooked Midtown. Once there, she folded her arms and closed her eyes, feeling the slight trembling in her limbs.

"You are unwell," his voice came from behind her, the tone so familiar and yet so different.

She couldn't help the tension that gripped her, the burning feeling of her tears behind her eyelids. She only gave a single nod in response to his comment but did not say anything. There was a brief moment of that comfortable silence before she felt a gentle touch weave its way through her hair, tucking a lock of it behind her ear and lingering along the metal of her jawline. "You need to rest Jenn..."

Her breath hitched at the sound of her name dropping from his lips and her eyes snapped open. She turned her head to look at him, her gaze meeting his, the unasked question quite clear in her pale blue eyes.

His touch was still lingering along her jawline, his gaze flicking over her features before settling back on her eyes. "You are Jenn," he said, "Your face… it lingers in my mind. Brief flashes."

"Visions?" she asked, her eyes flicking up to the yellow stone in his brow.

"No," he said, a gentle shake of his head. "Memories. Distorted but… there. Not quite mine. Yet… that is a good start, don't you think? A vision… I am… Vision." He paused a moment and he looked down at his own form before looking at Jenn's. He studied her form for some time before material began to appear from his shoulders, flowing down and behind him, solidifying into a shimmering golden cape. He looked at his hands before he looked at her. "Will this suffice?"

Jenn tried to ignore the sudden stutter her heart gave at the sound of his voice and she gave a small smile in response. "Thor is not the first person I would look to for a sense of Earth's fashion…"

"Definitely not," Tony's voice came from the doorway of the lab in response to Jenn's comment. He had been watching the two of them talking, keeping the others from interrupting the moment between them. Jarvis was no more but he was now a part of this being – Vision – that clearly recognized her. Maybe there was still a chance the part of Jarvis that still remembered her to connect with Jenn the way he had always wanted to. He could even take Jenn out for a night on the town, if things worked out. Seeing that he caught their attention, Tony let out one of his famous smirks as he made his way into the loft, the others beginning to file in after him. "Next time, talk to me. I'll hook you up with some great threads."

The moment Jenn had rolled her eyes, Tony's smirk had turned cheeky and he threw her a wink for good measure while he and the group made their way toward where Jenn and Vision stood. Jenn had turned around to face the others, not noticing that Vision had taken to a slight side step along her side. He was angled in a way that would seem innocuous to the untrained eye but to a good portion of the group, the message was clear: One wrong move toward her and he would not hesitate.

When the others were finally gathered around Jenn and Vision, her pale blue eyes flicked toward Thor. "Thor, before the excitement, you had pointed out the stone in Vision's brow as the source of all this misbegotten fortune." She took in a breath to ease the tension that was once more building in her and then slowly released it. "Is this stone similar to the one that Cin's people had been guarding before you and Erai had rescued them from that hellish dimension? The one half of the Reality Stone?"

Seeing the grim look on Thor's face confirmed her train of thought and she uttered out a curse while the others – save for Bruce and Tony – were looking between them with varied looks of confusion and frustration.

"Would one of you mind explaining it to the rest of us?" said Steve Rogers, his patience having been worn thin with everything that had been going on so far. "What is so special about that gem?"

"It's the Mind Stone," said Thor, glancing at Steve as he moved to set his hammer down on the coffee table beside him. "It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe. The Lyttans were guarding one half of one of the other six stones, the Reality Stone – which had at some point in its long history been split in two. It had not been known to my father that that had been the reason why their realm had been attacked by the Chitauri and why they had disappeared from the Nine Realms to begin with. When Erai had come to me for help in rescuing his people, we had taken the half they had been guarding and it is currently under protection on Asgard."

"What about the other half?" asked Clint, the look of slight disbelief quite clear on his face. The tale of all powerful magic stones was not something he would have believed in right away. Yet, after everything he had seen the last few years, this shouldn't have surprised him.

"Kept far and separate from its sibling. It is in a safe and secure location," said Thor, glancing at Hawkeye before he focused his gaze on Jenn, Tony and Bruce. "It does not surprise me that the Red Lady and her brother would tell you of it."

"We're family," said Tony, his smile taking on a sad tint. "Ana, Cin and Erai didn't want us to be caught with our pants down should something come knockin' on our door from their past."

"The real question is why you would bring that stone here?" asked Steve.

"Because Stark is right," said Thor.

"Oh, it's definitely the end times," said Bruce with a slight shake of his head. Jenn couldn't help the soft huff of laughter she gave in response to that, knowing that if Ana were here now she would have been the only one laughing at her husband's awkward sense of humor. Bruce heard her and looked at her, a sad smile playing on his lips. His own thoughts must have gone to the same place.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," said Thor, looking at the others.

"Not alone, at least," said Vision, having been silent up until this point. He was wary of the others, save for Bruce and Tony. The only one he felt truly at ease with was standing beside him and she was keen on helping those she called her family. She had helped to create him, his very first memories contained flashes of her, muffled and disjointed though they were. She had helped to give him life and sentience and it was because of that he felt it necessary to help these people in whatever capacity he could.

"Why does your "vision" sound like JARVIS?" asked Steve, his own wariness of the newest member of their group more blatant.

"We… we reconfigured Jarvis' matrix to create something new," said Tony in response, his hazel eyes flicking over to Jenn and catching sight of the hurt look on her face. The loss of the Jarvis they had known was a little too raw on top of everything else for the woman. Yet, she was putting on a brave face for the sake of continuing what they had started: Stopping Ultron.

"I think I've had my fill of new," said Steve, folding his arms to glare at Vision.

"He is not a child of Ultron," said Jenn, her voice cutting through the tension that had once again been growing. She didn't know what to do with this group of people. "So knock that right out of your mind."

"I'm not Ultron," said Vision in agreement, moving slightly so that his stance brought him just the more closely to Jenn. Side by side, they looked like an intimidating pair: Not fully human and yet not fully machine. "I'm not Jarvis. I am…" He hesitated, trying to find the words as to what he was but he settled on the only words that made sense. "I am."

"I had seen his mind," said Wanda. "It was as Ms. DuPont had predicted. All that was in Ultron's mind, the annihilation that I saw, it was not there and it's not there now."

"Yeah," said Clint, focusing his gaze on the witch. "Her seal of her approval means jack to me." He, like Jenn, Bruce and Tony, was not too keen on the witch. After seeing her tear apart one of the most loving couples he had met outside of his own marriage, his tolerance of the enhanced young woman was minimal at best. He wasn't going to start trusting her so easily.

"Their powers," said Thor, moving the conversation back to the task at hand as he pointed to the twins. "The horrors in our heads, Ultron himself… They all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…"

"Is it?" asked Steve, his gaze flicking from Thor to Vision. "Are you?"

"I don't think it's that simple," said Vision, the look on his face contemplative.

"Nothing worth doing ever is, _mon ami_ ," said Jenn, as she turned her pale blue eyes toward him. He had looked at her in turn and he would have to lie if he said those pale blue eyes didn't strike with something inside of him. She had given him a kind smile, an understanding smile, one which helped to sway the course of the path he would take. It was the very same smile he had seen in those distorted flashes of memories of her.

"I am on the side of life," said Vision, taking some effort to pull his gaze away from Jenn's to look at the others. "Ultron isn't."

"What's he waiting for?" asked Tony, his arms folded as he studied Vision. He had seen the look that had passed between Vision and Jenn and deep inside Tony allowed that smug satisfaction to rise. Yeah, there might be a chance for these two…

"You," said Vision, his gaze flicking to his other creator.

"Where?" asked Bruce.

"Sokovia," said Clint in response. "He's got Nat there too."

Bruce gave a nod as he turned his attention back to Vision. "If we're wrong about you… If you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…"

"I'm not," said Vision. "I am what only I can be… but I will not be foolish enough to throw away the gift that had been given to me." He looked at the others before he turned his attention to the woman beside him. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. You, of all of us, had seen it for yourself, Jenn."

Jenn gave a hesitant nod, recalling the very first moments that she had been connected to Ultron. "I had… He is a child, nothing more than an innocent who had seen only the nightmares and not willing to acknowledge the sweet dreams there alongside them."

"That pain will roll over the Earth," said Vision, a soft frown touching the corner of his lips as he studied Jenn. A part of him though was elated that she had understood him, without question or doubt. She, out of them all, had seen and she understood and the very thought of it made him strangely happy. He was trying so very hard to keep that strange elation from showing on his face. "He must be destroyed…" He looked at the others then, knowing that if he continued to study Jenn, he would be lost in those pale blue eyes. "Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. Not one of us can do it without the others." He turned to face Thor and started to walk toward him, his stance now relaxed and at ease. Showing he was not a threat. "Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what any of you are and not what you intended to be. There may be no way to make you trust me." He came to a stop before Thor, his gaze flicking between the god of thunder's before he reached down and picked up the hammer. "But we need to go," he finished, holding out the hammer with ease toward its owner. Thor was shocked into silence as he reached up to take his hammer from the strange being in front of him, one who was considered worthy.

Jenn's delighted laughter had broken the shocked silence that permeated the group and all eyes turned to her to find her doubled over. She was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was struggling to breathe. She had managed to get a few words in between the laughter but she could only manage it in French before she was doubling over in laughter again. The sound was infectious and Vision couldn't help the small smile that touched his lips as he watched Jenn stumble sideways into the nearest sofa, still laughing her ass off.

Thor, who had managed to clear his throat, turned around and walked over to Tony, who was watching with a dazed look at the sight of Jenn having a good belly laugh for the first time in her life. When he looked at the Asgardian in question, Thor gave an awkward nod and reached out to pat the billionaire on the shoulder. "Well done."

This set Jenn off into another round of laughter, which helped to relax the others, Captain America even giving a reluctant smile. It was good to have some laughter after all, especially from the least likely of people.


	77. Good Evening, Boss

_Torrid tales from the rats_

_They're filled with disgust_

_I'm closer to closure now than I've ever been_

_It's so honestly honest just who's my friend_

_And who's riding the coattails 'til the end…_

**Bring the Fight** – Devil Driver

-o-

Chapter 77: Good Evening, Boss

"Good evening, boss."

Those were the first three words that the new AI had greeted him with, one of several back up AIs he had kept in case anything happened to Jarvis. FRIDAY was the name of this particular AI, a lovely female voice that sounded in her twenties; perky and eager. Tony couldn't help the smirk that touched his goateed lips as he powered up his Iron Man suit, getting ready for the battles to come. After a moment though, his smirk had faded, his thoughts went back to the briefing he had had with the rest of the team before they had all gone to get ready…

-o-

"No way we all get through this," Tony said to them, his hazel eyes studying each and every one of them. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans for tomorrow night," Steve said, throwing in his two cents, which had caused a light chuckle amongst the group.

"I get first crack at the big guy," Tony continued. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true," said Vision, who found his way back to Jenn's side once she had finally calmed down in her laughter. "He hates you the most."

Tony had thrown him a look before Steve took control of the conversation. "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire and that's what we signed up for." He had paused, his gaze flicking over to the Maximoff twins. "But the people of Sokovia, they didn't… So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace and that's not going to happen today but we can do our best to protect them. We can get the job done and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us." He took in a moment to glance at Jenn and Vision before looking at the others once more. "Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

Tony had noticed the glance that Captain America had given Jenn and Vision and he had looked at the two of them as well. Seeing Jenn's pale blue eyes harden and her lips thinning were sure signs that her patience had worn thin but she had said nothing. Instead the group had dispersed to get ready for the battles ahead so here he was in his lab, getting his Iron Man suit primed and ready. His thoughts were all over the place but they inevitably landed to the one person still missing from their number.

Ana.

It felt like it had been weeks instead of days since he had last spoken with his little sister. They had gotten a status update from Maria Hill that Ana was stable and showing signs that she would awaken at any moment: Her brain activity had been jumping just from the latest report. That bit of news had been able to perk Bruce right up from the slump he had been in since this whole ordeal had started. He had even volunteered to be the one to get Nat out of whatever prison she was in so the others could concentrate on getting to Ultron and getting the civilians out.

Another spot of good news was that Erai was on his way from the safe house the Banner twins were currently at to help with the battle. He was going to meet with them halfway before hitching a ride with the rest of them. With the two powerhouses that were the Hulk and Cin out of the picture for now, the team was low going to need all the help they could get. Cammie and her team were going to keep guard duty over the twins and Ana while they took down Ultron. Things at least were looking up on that front.

It was the little things that helped of that Tony could say with some confidence.

-o-

Jenn was very worried.

Most of it was due in part to Vision but a good portion was reserved for Tony and Bruce.

Vision was just several hours old but already he was going into battle with the nightmare she had helped to create. Tony and Bruce had barely had time to get proper rest and sustenance and they were already heading back to the battle field. Though Bruce was her niece's husband and Tony considered her niece like a little sister, Jenn could say in good faith that those two were like brothers to her. They were family. They had helped to see each other through some of the most difficult battles of their lives and this one coming was no different.

Jenn was going to remain behind in the tower and stay connected to the mainframe, offering assistance to Vision in eradicating all traces of Ultron from the internet. She would also be offering support to Tony and the others, keeping track of each of their movements while they battled it out in Sokovia. She had already made contact with Marie Hill and Nick Fury, indicating Captain America's plans for evacuating the citizens from where the battles were sure to take place. Ultron had built something more than just Vision's body with the vibranium he had stolen. Of course, he had kept her in the dark about it when he had kidnapped her and she had no way of breaking from his mind control to find out what it was. At this point it was too late and all they could hope to do was stop him from releasing whatever he had built.

Being left behind and working from the shadows was nothing new for Jenn.

In fact, it was her forte.

Yet, at this moment in time, she wished that she could do more to help.

She wasn't specialized in any hand to hand combat – for obvious reasons – and her experience with weaponry was only training over the last couple of years – good enough to the point that she could hold her own until help arrived but not going into a full out war. There was only so much her suit could do at the time. Now that she had a new body, there wasn't enough time to even consider the notion of tagging along. So, she could only do what she did best and offer support.

Bruce had stopped by the lab – Tony's lab – where Jenn was currently working on restoring the Cradle to its former glory. It was one of the few things she could do while the others were getting ready and she was hard at work, her new bodily upgrades making the work much quicker than it used to be.

The good doctor had come to a stop beside her and stood there without saying a word, watching her as she tightened a bolt to the lid of the Cradle. After several minutes, she stopped and looked at him, a slight smile touching her lips. "Hello Bruce."

He was dressed in a dark shirt and a dark pair of slacks, a dark grey hoodie over all of that. Dr. Bruce Banner in a hoodie was not something people saw everyday but he did own some down to earth clothing when the need called for it. This was one of those occasions. He didn't respond to her greeting at first, he simply stared at her for a moment before he finally smiled in return. "You look just like Sido when you smile… It's nice to finally see it."

Jenn blinked in surprise at that before her smile had grown just a bit. She set the wrench aside before she straightened out to face him. "That's… very sweet _mon ami_ , thank you." She took in a breath as she folded her arms cross her chest, her tension becoming clearer. "An unexpected good deed that Ultron had done, not that I think he meant it as such. He went on and on about evolving and improving… He just used me as an example of what could be achieved." She shook her head and left it at that.

Bruce gave a nod in response and they both fell silent.

After a moment, Jenn looked at the man before her and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. "Promise me you will be careful and get out of there as soon as you can. Ana will be waking soon and she will be expecting you."

Bruce gave another nod, this one more firm. "I promise Jenn. It's the least I can do. Nat had gotten caught… I'm the best choice in getting her out so the others can take Ultron down."

"I understand… Still…" She moved over and enveloped the doctor in a tight embrace, her worry and tension growing. Her sixth sense was kicking in again – the danger to her family and all she held dear was ever present and it was getting harder to suppress. "Be safe Bruce."

"I will," he said, returning the hug before he took a step back. "If Ana wakes up…"

"You'll be the first one I call," said Jenn, her smile a heartfelt one.

Bruce gave another nod before he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the lab.

Jenn watched him leave before she turned and went back to work on fixing the Cradle.

It wasn't long before she had another visitor.

She was bending over the lid of the Cradle, trying to get a bolt in place that was at a very awkward angle. She had not heard him enter so, at the sound of his clearing throat, she had jumped up in surprise and stumbled back. He had caught her with ease, keeping her upright and staring down at her with what looked like humor in his gaze. Jenn took in a breath to calm her beating heart as she looked up at Vision. "Hello…"

"My apologies," he said as he helped her to straighten up. "I did not mean to startle you, Jenn."

"It's quite all right, Vision," she said as she took a step back from him, absently tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. There were the beginnings of a blush in her cheeks and she was quick to turn back around to get back to work on the Cradle. "Were you coming to say goodbye, _mon ami_?"

He was watching her with intensity in his gaze; it was the type of emotion that was hard to put a name to. It was a strong emotion that much was evident. Yet, with her back turned to him, she did not see this. When he spoke none of the emotion that had been in his gaze could be heard in his voice. "It would seem rather rude to leave without doing so."

A soft chuckle escaped her; a deep, throaty sound that seemed to have a strange effect on Vision. She looked back at him and smiled. "It seems you've inherited Jarvis' manners... That is good. I've always appreciated that about him the most."

"You speak fondly of him... Did you love him?" Vision continued to study the woman before him, that strange emotion from before revealing itself.

Jenn was caught off guard by the question and that fact that it came from Vision, who sounded like Jarvis, did not help the piercing ache that made itself known. She focused her attention back on the Cradle as she thought over a response to give. The silence stretched on for a few moments between them before Jenn finally gave an answer. "It doesn't matter," she said, the slight ache could be heard in her voice. It was answer enough.

Vision frowned at this but he didn't pursue in matter.

"Be careful, _mon ami,_ " said Jenn, glancing over her shoulder to look at him. "I will help you as best as I can from here..."

He stood a little straighter at those words, seeing the care and concern aimed his way and his own admiration of the woman inadvertently grew. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement as his gaze remained focused on hers. "I will be careful Jenn and I will do my best to protect the family."

Her smile at those words assured him that they had been the right ones to say and Vision left the lab with a clear sense of what his purpose was.

-o-

The fight was brought to Ultron's front door.

While the rest of the team had gone to city to follow the trace that Ultron had left – thanks to Jenn's tracking algorithms – Bruce and Thor made their way to the location where Black Widow's Morse code signal had originated from. The location that Hawkeye had directed them to was in the catacombs of the very HYDRA base they had infiltrated there in Sokovia, deep underground. When Thor had busted in a thick, stone wall with his hammer it was to reveal the underground labs that HYDRA had kept there under the old castle. There were remnants of Chitauri technology everywhere – even a Leviathan class of the alien creature chained up high above. It was here that Ultron had made his base of operations and it was here that he had started on whatever project he was using for the vibranium.

Thor had gone off to his right, going deeper into the catacombs in an effort to locate any sign of vibranium, while Bruce went off to the left in search of Natasha. Hawkeye had said she was being kept in a dungeon cell in her message so he had only to follow the corridors further into the castle, where such cells were known to have been built.

Slightly concerned that he may come across a few of Ultron's drones on the way to finding Nat, Bruce had managed to locate a specialized energy gun in an armory adjacent to the lab. It was one of the many weapons HYDRA had reversed engineered from the Chitauri technology and the good doctor had thanked his luck. He continued on his quest to locate Natasha, following the corridors deeper into the old castle when he finally made some headway when he caught sight of lights straight ahead. He started running forward.

"Natasha?" he called out, his footsteps picking up as he caught sight of barred doors up ahead. "Natasha!"

"Bruce?"

He heard her voice further ahead and relief made itself known as he rushed forward, searching through each cell he passed. He emerged into a larger area, another lab that housed Chitauri tech, when his searching gaze caught a flash of familiar red hair. Turning toward the cell, he watched as the Black Widow got to her feet and went to the door of the cell, looking the worse for wear but otherwise unhurt.

He made his way to the door just as Natasha reached out to grab one of the bars. "Are you all right?" he asked her, his warm brown gaze filled with worry and concern.

"Yeah," she said, her own voice was filled with warmth that Bruce had never heard aimed towards him. He caught the look in her eyes before she had quickly looked away, a look he had only ever seen in Ana's eyes. A sense of unease settled into the pit of his stomach as he swallowed, deciding the best course of action was to ignore what he had seen.

"The team is in the city," he said, being mindful of keeping his expression as neutral as possible. "It's about to light up."

"I don't suppose you found a key lying around somewhere?" she asked in a nonchalant manner, searching the area behind him and taking the moment to compose herself. She had seen the slight look of panic on his face when their gazes had met. He had seen what she had tried so hard to hide for so long. It had been difficult to conceal such a thing. Hearing him calling her name, seeing him coming to her rescue, it had brought about such a relief that her guard had dropped – she really had to be careful.

"Yeah," he said as he powered up the energy gun. "I did."

Natasha moved quickly out of the way, hiding behind the closest wall, as Bruce aimed and fired the gun at lock of the heavy, iron door. The energy beam melted through the metal with little resistance and Natasha quickly moved toward the door to slide it open. Bruce had set aside the gun and went over to meet the assassin was she had managed to get the door open.

"So what's our play?" she asked as she came to a stop in front of the doctor.

"I'm here to get you to safety," he said, glancing over at her.

"Job's not finished," she said, a slight frown appearing on her features.

"You could help with the evacuation," said Bruce, eyeing the assassin with a wary eye before he glanced around. "But I can't be in a fight near civilians. You can meet with the others but my fight is over. I have a family I have to get home to."

Natasha remained silent at this, the reminder of the why to everything hitting her deep in the gut. With nothing else to be said, Bruce turned and began to lead the way, the silent redhead moving to rush after him. They went through the corridors, passing cells, before emerging back into the HYDRA lab. It was at this time that the earth around them began to rumble and shake; several pieces of large rocks dislodged from the cavern ceiling and fell around them with a large clatter. They had come to a stop at the edge of a large precipice, looking around at the shuddering cavern.

"We gotta move," said Bruce, his worry jumping just a little.

"You're not going to turn green?" asked Natasha, her gaze studying the man in front of her with concern.

Bruce turned his attention back to her, his warm brown eyes studying her as he gave a firm shake of his head. "I've got three very compelling reasons not to lose my cool right now," he said. "And they're all waiting for me to come home."

Natasha felt her heart clench with affection and guilt, seeing the love this man had for his wife and his children. The adoration in his voice and his gaze was something that she wished she could see directed at her, just once.

_If only…_

Bruce's words from the party, which seemed as if it had been from a lifetime ago, welled up from the recesses of her mind: _If a guy comes along and it feels right: Go for it._

She was very sure that this was not what he had in mind and she knew that she was being selfish on so many levels. Yet, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, which included the needs of his wife and children.

"I'm sorry," she said, both to the man in front of her and to his wife and children, for what she was about to do.

"What?" Bruce frowned in confusion, not understanding why the assassin felt the need to apologize to him. It wasn't until she has rushed forward, one hand gripping the front of his hoodie and the other reaching around to grip the back of his neck, that the confusion gave way to shock. She had pulled his head down and pressed her lips firmly against his in a heartfelt kiss.

His shock had quickly given way to anger and Natasha could feel his form trembling beneath her grip. He reacted as she had hoped and she broke away from the kiss, her eyes focused on his as she gave a firm push, the good doctor falling over the edge of the precipice. Her gaze had been filled with apologies but not regret as he fell down into the ravine below. "I'm sorry Ana," she said once more as she took a few steps back, trying to settle her racing heart. "But I need the Other Guy." She could hear his roar from down below and she moved back further in nervous anticipation.

The Hulk had emerged from the ravine and landed with a huge, earthshaking thud down in front of her. He let out a huff of anger as his green eyes studied the assassin, his confusion quite apparent.

"Sorry Big Guy," said Natasha, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "It was the only thing I could think of to get him angry enough. You ready to finish the job?"

The Hulk let out a growl, the questions could be seen on his face, no doubt he was confused about a lot of what was going on but he knew something urgent was going down. Without hesitating, he swept the assassin up onto his back, where she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. Soon enough, the Hulk was smashing his way out of the HYDRA base and rushing out into the open, where the sight of the forest and the city beyond greeted them, rising slowly up into the air…


	78. I Really Hope This Makes Us Even

_Hoping one day you'll make a dream last_

_But dreams come slow and they go so fast_

_You see her when you close your eyes_

_Maybe one day you'll understand why_

_Everything you touch surely dies…_

**Let Her Go ** – Passenger

-o-

Chapter 78: I Really Hope This Makes Us Even

"I really hope this makes us even," was what Black Widow had said after getting to her feet from the uncomfortable ride on the Hulk's back. She had jumped off once they had landed in the forest outside of the city limits, rolling haphazardly to her feet. She had a looked a little shaken but unharmed as she focused her attention to him. "Now, go be a hero."

And with that they parted ways.

The Hulk was a lot of things but being a hero was never one of them. Banner's lingering anger over what she had done had carried over. He had not been too happy seeing her but it felt good to finally be free.

His first train of thought had been to find Cin. His last memories of her had been terrible. The last things he had felt had been guilt, a heart wrenching ache, and then nothing once Banner had taken over. He did not know what happened to Cin and Ana, Banner had kept that wall between them locked up tight. Nothing had slipped through, not even a flash of a memory. He was desperate to find out if his mate was all right.

The worst part of it was that he could not feel her.

His link to her was not there or if it was her end was completely silent.

He didn't like that. Not one bit.

He had made his way into the city, hearing all of the action coming from there. The sounds of screaming, explosions, and things being torn apart led him straight to where the robots were wreaking havoc. He could see that some of his team members were already in the thick of battle with a lot of these robots.

Thor, Iron Man, Captain America…

His heart gave a jolt when he spotted a ball of fire emerge from an alley and it combusted, incinerating a good group of the robots who had been attempting to chase down some civilians. He knew that attack and he knew it well. There were only one of two people who had that type of power and, though he wished it was his mate he knew it, could only be from her brother.

Not wasting time, the Hulk followed the signs of the explosive fire attacks, listening until he caught wind of the deep snarls and roars that could only come from Cin's brother.

Erai was in the middle of tearing apart a good portion of the robots that were attacking him when the Hulk had arrived to help finish the job. The ten foot tall, crimson-skinned alien had only paused when there was a lull in their end of the battles. Erai had looked at his brother in all but blood and a deep, confused grumble had escaped him. He had not been expecting the Hulk to be here.

He was not even supposed to be here.

He was supposed to be Banner, who should have been on his way to Cin/Ana and their children.

Erai did not have a code name of his own among the team, his joining the Avengers in their missions were always few and far between. Still, being a foot taller than the Hulk with crimson skin and glowing veins from the rising heat of his own thermal power did have some people who had seen him in action call him by a few names.

The Hulk had not been aware of any of this and simply knew Erai's raging side as Brother.

"Brother," Hulk began, his gaze studying Erai. "Where's mate?"

Erai had hesitated, unsure of how could even broach the subject when they were in the middle of a battlefield. He had glanced around, seeing that their location had been secured of the robots for the time being. Once determining that they would be all right for a brief moment, he moved to Hulk and reached out a large clawed hand to grip the back of his neck.

With a squeeze, several of the prominent veins had emerged from the palm to merge briefly with the Hulk. It was a temporary merging – a sharing of the mind that allowed the flow of memories from one Lyttan to another. Erai had shared all of his memories with the Hulk on all that had happened up until that point and inadvertently received the Hulk’s in return. Once that was done, he had disconnected himself from the green being and took a step back, the veins retreating back beneath the crimson skin, the skin itself healing over.

Hulk was feeling a sense of loss once all was shown to him.

His mate had been seriously hurt.

He had almost killed her.

" _Not your fault,_ " said Erai, seeing the grief on the Hulk's face. " _She will wake._ " He let out a deep snarl as the sight of more robots began to emerge from the ground and various alleyways from across the way. " _Worry later. Fight now._ "

The Hulk, realizing Erai was right, allowed that grief to transition to the anger he knew so well. He was going to fight for the sake of his mate and his children. He had already failed them once he wasn't going to do it again.

-o-

The battles that had commenced felt like déjà vu.

Waves upon waves of robots arrived only to be destroyed by the team of Avengers yet no matter how many were destroyed more seemed to take their place.

While all of this was going on, Iron Man was focusing on scanning the rising city and the land beneath it, downloading the schematics of the vibranium core that had been used to build the propulsion system that was lifting the city into the air. It appeared that there was a magnetic field holding the land mass together and disabling any part of the propulsion system would make the city not only fall but fall apart – with everyone still on it. He was sending all of this data to Jenn while FRIDAY was running commentary on various success rates for potential plans on getting the city back to the ground without harm befalling the city or any of the civilians. None of the results were good.

On the other side of the city, Nick Fury had appeared with a team aboard a beat up but still functioning _Helicarrier._ He had managed to get his team together and the ship up and running with help from Marie Hill and Jenn. With little hesitation, they had dispatched tens of lifeboats –hovering aircrafts with rows upon rows of seats in them – to get to the city and rescue as many civilians as they could.

It was something that had brought Pietro Maximoff to a standstill and he had watched with slight awe at the sight of the lifeboats emerging from the _Helicarrier._ "This is SHIELD?" he asked.

Captain America, who had been standing beside Black Widow in a part of the city that overlooked the horizon and the sight of the ship, had answered. "This is what SHIELD's supposed to be."

Pietro had looked back out at the ship and the sight of the lifeboats and a small smile appeared on his lips, his silver hair tousling in the rising breeze. "This is not so bad."

Captain America nodded in response before he turned his attention to Black Widow. "Let's load 'em up."

While the team was getting ready to meet with the lifeboats and get the civilians on board, more of Ultron's robots were rising to converge on the _Helicarrier_. War Machine aka James Rhodes had appeared and shot one of the robots down.

"YES!" he shouted. "This is gonna be a good story."

"Yep," said Tony, who had flown in from below and helped to shoot down another robot that had been sneaking in on War Machine from behind. "If you live to tell it."

"You think I can't hold my own?"

"We get through this I'll hold your own."

"You had to make it weird…"

-o-

So on the battles went.

Tony Stark continued to relay messages to Jenn while he fought, bouncing off ideas as to what may work in their favor in keeping the city from rising further while they got the civilians out of harm's way. Once the civilians were safely off they would be able to destroy the core and unfortunately the city along with it. Yet, the rest of the world would be saved…

"I got it!" he said, inspiration coming at the most desperate of moments. "Create a heat seal. I can… I can supercharge the spire from below. Jenn, could you-"

"Already completed," came Jenn's voice through his comm unit. It was still strange hearing her actual voice after listening to her synthetic one for so long. "Sending the results to FRIDAY."

"Based on Jenn's calculations boss, a heat seal could work with enough power," said the AI.

"FRIDAY, remind me to remind Vision to take Jenn out on the town once this is all over. All on me."

"Getting it marked on your calendar boss," said FRIDAY.

" _Je jure devant Dieu,_ Tony" he heard her say before she clicked off the line. He couldn't help the smug chuckle despite being in the middle of a battlefield. He needed it at the moment. They all did…

Taking a moment to gather his resolve, Tony opened the comm link with the rest of the team. "Thor, I got a plan!"

"We're out of time!" he heard the god of thunder bellow from his end of the line. "They're coming for the core!"

Uttering a curse, Tony made his way to the center of the city where the church – and the vibranium core – was located. Rhodey was on his tail, following close behind. Tony could see the rest of the team making their way to the church including a familiar large green body that was battling alongside their resident Lyttan.

What the hell was the Hulk doing out?

Uttering another curse, Tony got back on the comm. "Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier."

"On it," was the response he got before War Machine shifted directions and took off back the way he had come.

Knowing that at least that was taken care of, Tony continued on his way to the church. "Avengers, time to work for a living." Catching sight of the Hulk once more, it could only mean that Banner had managed to rescue Black Widow. "Romanoff?" he called. "There better be a good reason why the Big Guy is out to play right now. I have a little sister who's going to be plenty pissed if Banner isn't there when she wakes up from her beauty nap." He landed on the destroyed steps of the church and looked around at the battled hardened street.

"Relax Shell-head," came her voice in his comm unit as he caught sight of a large truck barreling its way down the street, slamming away abandoned cars along with it. "We needed to even up the odds. A little lullaby and he'll be home in time to kiss his sleeping beauty awake."

Even Tony had to admit that had to be one of the corniest things he had ever heard Black Widow say but damn was it not appropriate. He had to suppress the laughter as the truck screeched to a stop in front of the church and the red-headed assassin jumped out.

"What's the drill?" she asked once she met up with him. They made their way inside to meet up with the rest of the team.

"This is the drill," Tony said as he pointed to the center of the church. There was a large cylindrical metal object with three long metallic prongs jutting out from it and digging into the stone floor. It was obvious that this thing was a hell of a lot bigger than it looked and the majority of the thing was imbedded deep beneath the ground. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

A distant sound drew the team's attention and they all turned as one to see that Ultron had finally shown up and of course Thor, being who he was, called out to the AI as he clenched his hammer tightly. "Is that the best you can do?"

The AI had let out a deep chuckle as he raised his arms and all at once his drones began to converge on their spot, heeding their master's call.

"You had to ask," said Captain America.

" _This_ is the best I can do," Ultron said. "This is exactly what I wanted." He looked around at the group of Avengers as he gestured toward them. "All of you against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?"

Tony Stark let out a huff of laughter as he glanced at Captain America. "Well, like the old man said…" He turned his attention back to the AI. "Together."

-o-

Of the many battles that Erai had fought with his brothers, he could say that this one was one of the hardest to endure.

What mostly was the cause of the difficulty was that though his link with his family members was still there it was not as strong as it was when his twin was awake. His link with Tony and Hulk were dimmed since he was not the one who had initiated the pack link among them. So because of this he did not sense the anguish that underlined the prominent rage the Hulk was currently going through.

If he had, he may have been able to stop what had happened next…

Yet, once all was said and done, no one could say for sure if it would have made a difference in the outcome.

It had been during the battles with the robots at the church and they were emerging victorious in their fights that Ultron decided that the better option was to flee but not before the Hulk had managed to get in a good punch. The AI's main body went flying off into the horizon while the rest of the surviving robots were already making their way to escape.

"We can't let 'em escape," said Tony, his normally calm voice seething with anger. "Not even one!"

The witch twin had offered to guard the core while the rest of them concentrated on destroying the last of the robots and getting the civilian stragglers aboard the last of the life boats. While the others had gone off, the male Maximoff twin had hung back to make sure his sister was sure in her decision.

"I can handle this," she said to her brother as she sent off a red energy wave to her right, destroying an approaching robot. "Come back for me when everyone else is off. Not before."

"Hmm," was all Pietro said as he studied his sister.

She looked at him and gave a firm nod. "Go."

He smirked at that. "You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you."

"Go," Wanda said with a chuckle as she turned her head not seeing her brother disappear as he sped off.

Yet, she did see a very tall crimson-skinned being standing in the entryway of the church and she tensed, having not realized he had been there. He must have been listening in on her interaction with her twin. She knew the male being was an ally, having witnessed him fighting alongside the rest of the Avengers and she knew he was related to the woman who could also turn into a larger, stronger being.

_His twin…_

The being's memories had come unbidden to her mind, having dropped her guard. He was the twin brother of the mother of the Banner twins. Knowing this new information did not ease the tension at seeing a ten-foot tall raging monster staring at her with glowing yellow eyes. It was enough to set any normal person running off in fright. Wanda had watched the being as he tilted his head to the side, studied her moment, before a snarling deep voice spoke.

" _Will watch over yours,_ " was what he said before he turned and left on foot, more than likely to aid in the fight against the robots. The witch twin had let loose the breath she had been holding, a deep rooted fear that was instinctual above all else. This was a being that had every right to tear her from limb to limb for what she had done to his… twin. Yet, he was offering to watch over her own twin in the battles to come…

Wanda could admit she felt humbled by the very thought and her resolve grew. She would do all in her power to right the wrong she had done or die trying.

While all of this was going on, the Black Widow and Hawkeye were in another vehicle making their way to the lifeboats. "I know what I need to do," Hawkeye said as he drove, making sure to run down one of the fleeing robots. "The dining room! If I knock out that east wall, it'll make a nice work space for Laura huh?" He turned the vehicle, swerving to avoid some rubble on the road. "Put up some baffling so she can't hear the kids running around." He glanced at his best friend and gave a smile. "What do you think?"

Black Widow let out smile as she held on tightly. "You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway." She glanced out the window and caught sight of a familiar green being that was smashing his way around a destroyed playground. She signaled to Hawkeye to pull to a stop.

"No one eats in a dining room," he said as he slammed on the brakes and the vehicle screeched to a halt. Up ahead, they could see a few of the lifeboats with the last of the civilians still rushing up the planks. "We don't have a lot of time."

"So get your ass on a boat," said Black Widow, glancing meaningfully at her best friend before she got out of the vehicle and made her way over to the playground where she caught sight of the Hulk. She moved stealthily as she edged around the playground, pulling off the glove to her left hand. The lullaby worked best with physical contact and it was always a tense situation. It was not the first time in which she wished his mate was around to calm him down…

"Hey Big Guy," she called, catching his attention. He focused his green gaze on her and he let out a growl as he clenched fists. "Sun's getting real low…" She held out her left hand, coaxing the Hulk to come closer.

He turned around and reached out to grab a bent up metal slide. He crushed it in his grip before slamming it to the ground, his anger quite clear.

Black Widow winced, no doubt understanding why he was still raging. He would have realized his mate was not there and it wasn't by her choice. She held firm and kept trying. "C'mon Big Guy… Cin's waiting for you. She's gonna wake up soon and she'll want to see you. Don't you want to see her?" That caught his attention and he turned around to gaze at her. She smiled at him and gave a nod. "That's right. You come with me and I'll get you straight to her. I promise…" It was a promise she was intending to keep.

He let out a huff of breath as he glanced around at the ground, hesitating but taking a few steps toward her. The Black Widow took it as a good sign and started edging closer to him…

The sudden familiar sound of the Quinjet could be heard flying overhead yet something was off. It was flying too low…

The Hulk reached out to grab a hold of the Black Widow and brought her close against him, protecting her against the sudden onslaught of bullets that were hailing from the Quinjet. It had been taken by Ultron himself and as he flew off his direction was right toward the lifeboats…

The Hulk glanced down at the small woman in his arms and, seeing that she had been knocked out by the force from his grab, had picked her up and chased after the Quinjet. The call for revenge was too strong. He was not going to go quietly into the night this time…

-o-

Hawkeye had made a lot decisions in his life where it would have ended it rather quickly.

Saving this young boy in an effort to bring him back to his mother, who was on the lifeboat he had been on, had been a decision he was sure he wasn't going to regret. Yet, seeing the Quinjet flying low and close- its guns aimed toward him and the boy he held- had made it clear his decision this time would cost him his life. With a prayer, he held the boy close and covered him with his own body, protecting him from the onslaught of bullets…

The powerful bullets tore through the ground around them and the jet flew overhead and…

Nothing had happened.

Confused, Hawkeye lifted his head and caught sight of Pietro Maximoff, his eyes already glazing over as he struggled to stay on his feet. "You… d-didn't see that coming?" he said before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slumped over, his back and arms riddled with bullet holes that were pooling with blood.

Hawkeye could not believe it…

The speed demon that had been a thorn in his side had sacrificed himself…

A sudden growl of rage had broken through Hawkeye's stunned silence and the most surreal sight that he had thought to ever witness to place before his eyes. The raging beast, Cin's brother, had arrived – all ten-foot of crimson-skinned monstrosity – and had skidded to a stop beside the Maximoff twin. He had reached down and took the enhanced by the neck. Without hesitation, the prominent glowing veins began to emerge from his arm – one by one of pulsating red fleshy veins and burrow themselves into the back of the neck of the dying man.

Hawkeye couldn't find the words to describe what he was witnessing.

He had seen the recordings of when this beast had merged with the Hulk but witnessing it up close with his own eyes was… was surreal.

The raging alien was literally merging with the dying young man – everything that this alien was disappearing and burrowing itself into the body of the other man. As this was going on, Pietro's body was growing in height and muscle, his shirt was tearing and burning away while the bullet wounds were healing over. The crimson veins that were a signature sight of Ana/Cin and her brother could be seen pulsing beneath Pietro's flesh and with a gasping breath he opened his eyes revealing the same glowing orbs. All that was the alien had merged with this enhanced human and when Pietro struggled to his feet, he stood just a foot shorter than the Hulk himself.

While Hawkeye stared in awe at the strange being before him another familiar roar caught his ear and he looked to catch sight of the Hulk – with Black Widow in his arms – rushing their way. He didn't spare them a glance as he leapt over them. He sailed into the air before landing with a heavy thud on the deck of the _Helicarrier_. Carefully setting the woman down, not noticing that she was just starting to come to, he turned on the spot and ran, using all of his strength. He ran toward the end of the deck, catching sight of the Quinjet trying to escape.

Taking a huge leap, he soared into the air and managed to grab hold of the back of the hatch to the jet. He climbed into the jet and let out a deafening roar.

He did not acknowledge the "Oh, for God's sake!" that Ultron had cursed as he descended on the AI and proceeded to beat every piece of metal he could from the thing. He threw Ultron toward the back of the jet, where the AI slammed against the metal threshold of the hatch before the robot fell out of the jet and into open air.

Pietro/Erai – who had been following the action since coming to – had followed after the Hulk in anticipation, knowing what was coming. Seeing the AI falling out of the retreating jet prompted him to move with the enhanced speed he knew well. If anything, he was even faster than before and it was with this thought that a joy unlike any he had known spread through him and with it a thirst for revenge.

Before Ultron could even crash land into the train that he had been aiming for, he was caught by the enhanced alien being, his clawed hands glowing red with heat and fire. The AI could not believe was he was looking at as he stared into the glowing eyes of the being. He let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "You… are not like other organics, are you? The way you evolved…You saved Pietro's life by assimilating with him." He saw the being narrow its eyes before it let out a fierce growl. "Yet, if you stay here, you'll still die."

" _I… just did,_ " Pietro's accented voice spoke but it was rougher and deeper. " _Do you… know how it felt?"_ Without warning, the being reached out and dug into the AI's chest cavity, his heated claws melting through the metal like a hot knife through butter. Once his hand found the core to the body's system, he ripped it out and crushed it, the heat melting it down for good measure. Ultron's body powered down at once and he dropped the body while he watched the metal drip between his clawed fingers. " _Just… like that…_ " he said before shaking off the last of the melted core.

The feel of the ground shuddering under his feet brought him back into focus and he looked around, knowing it was going to be time to leave soon. But he had to find his twin…

"Pietro…?"

He turned in the spot and a smile touched his face. Wanda had arrived at just the right moment, seemingly drawn by their link. She would have felt him die and then… come back. He could sense her clearly now – this Erai had telepathic links with his own family members and being merged with him, he had access to that ability. He could feel his sister's emotions: joy, relief, confusion, but no fear.

She knew that this was still her brother.

" _Wanda… have… to go,_ " he said to her, it was difficult trying to talk. These were two minds that were not quite used to being merged together.

Wanda didn't say a word but gave a stunned nod. He quickly moved and swept her up in his arms before speeding off toward the Helicarrier.

-o-

The Hulk was unsure what to do now that the robot was gone.

The hatch to the Quinjet had closed behind him and it was flying off to who knew where.

He let out a grumble as – now with the battles over – the reality of his situation began to fully sink in.

He had almost killed his mate.

He had almost killed Cin and Ana in his rage.

He couldn't remember even fighting her in that strange rage… He remembered fighting against the Abomination back in Harlem… back in Midtown… His taunting laughter… His taunting words…

_You'll never save her. She'll die because of you…_

The anguish from before had overtaken and he let out a low groan as he lifted a hand to his head. The wall between Banner and him was up. It was solid and locked tight on his end. Banner did not want anything to do with him for almost killing their women and the Hulk wanted nothing to do with him.

It had not been his fault, not truly, but Banner still laid the blame at Hulk's feet.

Well, he was in control now…

Perhaps, this was the best way to keep his mate and his children safe…

"Hey Big Guy," came a familiar voice from the cockpit of the jet and the Hulk looked toward the source of the sound. He caught sight of a holographic image displaying the face of a familiar redheaded assassin. She was smiling as she watched him, trying to coax him to relax even from so far away. "We did it. The job's finished."

The Hulk moved closer to the cockpit, studying the hologram screen of Black Widow with a slight sadness to his green gaze. He had liked her better than the other Avengers outside of his family. Yet, what she had done back there – the memory of that kiss – had carried over and the anger still remained.

"Now, I need you to turn this bird around ok? I promised I'd get you back home to Cin and Ana and I aim to keep that promise. But we can't track you in stealth mode so help me out. I need you t–"

The link was cut off and the Hulk let out a sigh as he lowered his hand from the console to the floor. He carefully sat down and stared at the rising expanse of blue sky that was beginning to darken the higher the jet rose.

It would be better for her this way.

She would be safe and alive.

He could only count on the hope that his brothers would continue to keep her and their children safe…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Je jure devant Dieu" = I swear to God (rough translation)


	79. You're Afraid

_There is a missing beat_

_Inside of me_

_The rhythm of my heart_

_Hits unevenly_

_There's a missing piece_

_Inside of me…_

**Missing Piece** – David Choi

-o-

Chapter 79: You're Afraid

"You're afraid."

Vision had arrived in a small forested area in the mountains miles away from where the city used to be, having been tracking the very last robot that had survived the battles. He landed on the ground in front of the drone. It was a broken husk of what it used to be. It was barely holding itself together – missing a limb or two, wires dangling and sparking, motor fluids leaking.

"Of you?" Ultron asked, coming to a stop a couple of yards away from Vision, its damaged face plate revealed flickering red light as it struggled to stay upright.

"Of death," said Vision in reply, studying the robot with sad eyes. "You're the last one."

"You were supposed to be the last," he said in reply, his body twitching as he took a step forward. "Stark asked for a savior and settled for a slave."

"I suppose we're both disappointments," said Vision as he looked out at the expanse of the land, seeing the large crater that used to be the city. He could see the _Helicarrier_ in the distance, hovering in place as it took in the last of the lifeboats of civilians. He heard a deep chuckle and he turned his attention back towards the broken AI.

"I suppose we are," Ultron said, glancing back at the sight of the destruction he had caused. "They're doomed."

"Yes," said Vision, keeping his gaze on the AI. "But a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. It's a privilege to be among them."

Silence was Ultron's only response, a heartbeat of time, before his voice emerged once more. "She won't last…"

Vision felt a rush of an unknown emotion well up from deep within him at those words. It was an irrational emotion that brought out a fiercely protective streak in him. The remnants of Jarvis still lingered within his memories so it really shouldn't have surprised him at how strongly he reacted at Ultron's mention of her. "Perhaps not," he said carefully, managing to keep his tone even despite the tension now gripping his form. "But… Jenn is different."

"You're unbearably naïve," Ultron said, shaking his head.

"Well," said Vision, his gaze never wavering from the AI that had caused so much pain. "I was born yesterday."

The robot let out a mechanical growl as it lurched forward on its broken limbs, its mangled hand outstretched to the other being in the vain hope of strangling him. Vision didn't react and, with no other word spoken, the yellow jewel in his forehead let out a bright flash of light.

-o-

It was always supposed to be warm in her dreams.

She could feel the cold air upon the back of her neck where his warm breath would always linger. Where his strong hand would always hold her firmly in place beside him there was nothing.

_Mine…_

That's what should have been said but there was no deep growl let alone the dulcet tones of his voice. His voice and his touch were missing from her dreams.

 _Where are you,_ mon amour?

Her voice echoed across the expanse of the darkness that surrounded her but there was no response from him.

Something was wrong.

Something was missing.

_Hulk?_

No response.

_Bruce?_

Not a glimmer of the link between them could be seen nor felt.

The panic was beginning to set in as the darkness seemed to grow thick around her. She held up her hands to her head as she reached out, desperately calling for her mate.

Her voice echoed out in the expanse of the darkness of her dreams until it became nothing more than an aching cry of pain…

-o-

The sound of screaming emerging from the room down the hall was what caused Tony to drop his mug of coffee and start running.

The moment Jenn had sent him the message that Ana was showing signs of waking up he had dropped everything he was doing to get to the tower. He had been busy overseeing the building plans of the new Avengers headquarters that was located in one of his older properties in upstate New York as well as the aid in the relocation and restoration of homes for the displaced people in that Sokovian city when Jenn called. It had been barely a week since the trouble in Sokovia had ended and with the Hulk/Banner missing in action and Ana still deep in her sleep; it had been a rough time for the billionaire.

Were it not for Jenn, Erai, and the Banner twins – who were now safely at home at the tower – he was sure he would have gone a little crazy with worry. Of course, he wouldn't have let it shown. He still had a reputation to consider but still… He had missed his little sister.

When he had arrived at the tower, Jenn had been there to meet with him and she had advised that Ana was showing signs of movement but she still had not awoken. Tony was just glad that he could be there for Ana when she finally woke up. She was going to need everyone there once she found out that her husband had gone missing after everything that happened…

He had arrived the night before so he had stayed by Ana's bedside, falling asleep in the only available chair in the room. She had been placed in a room in one of the medical wards of the tower in order to better monitor her life signs. It was one of the nicer rooms that had an attached kitchenette so when Tony had woken up the following morning with a crick in his neck; he decided to take the moment of quiet to get a cup of coffee.

That had been the moment the scream had erupted from the room he had just vacated. The mug of coffee he had just been about to drink had smashed on the porcelain floor by the time he had skirted the counter and rushed to the room. He skidded to a stop across the threshold and caught sight of Ana sitting upright in bed. The monitor that had been measuring her vital signs was giving off an erratic beeping as she took in one gasping breath after another.

Her copper brown curls were wild and her brown eyes were wide with panic as she looked frantically around the room. "I – I can't… I – I…" She trembled as the crimson veins in her neck became so faint they were almost non-existent. "C – can't feel…" she continued.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Tony as he rushed to her side and instantly wrapped his arms around her, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's ok, Ana… It's gonna be ok."

The moment his hands had touched the bare skin of her upper arms, the crimson veins in her neck deepened and the mental link between them reaffirmed itself. Ana let out a gasping sob of relief as she felt the connection with her big brother and she looked up at him, the tears slipping down her cheeks. "T-Tony?"

Tony could feel his own relief flooding through him as he felt the familiar link between himself and the woman he loved as his sister. "Hey kiddo… Welcome back…" he said, his smile growing warm.

Ana reached out a trembling hand and tried to wrap her arm around him in return, looking as if she were trying to bury herself in his warmth. She closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I couldn't feel anyone… For a moment…" She paused and looked up at Tony. "Something's missing… Are the twins all right? _Tante_ Jenn? Erai? Where's Bruce?"

"One thing at a time," he said as he carefully held her closer, not wanting to bombard her with news of all that had happened. "First things first, let's get you checked out and make sure you're ok. You've been out a while."

"Tony…" Ana's voice was soft, almost fearful, and Tony swallowed the tightness that had formed in his throat. He looked at her, his hazel eyes studying her brown ones though the look on his face was guarded.

"What happened?" she asked, her trembling beginning anew as she stared at him.

Tony studied her for a heartbeat before he let out a curse and ran a hand through his dark hair. "It's… I don't know how…" He struggled to find the words but he wasn't sure how he could bring to words just how messed up things had gotten in the days that followed Ana's sleep. He looked at her helplessly and – for the first time in a long time – he did not have a straight answer to give.

"Just… start from the beginning…" was all she could say in turn.

So he did…

-o-

Tony had told Ana on all that had happened since the disaster that had been their mission to that salvage yard.

The look on her face the entire time had been emotionless though a flicker of something passed when he had told her of Bruce's disappearance after the battle. She had not responded to anything he said, she simply sat there and stared at her hands. The only sign of her growing tension was the sight of the crimson veins in her neck pulsing at a higher pace than normal but she did lose her temper. She did not cry and she did not weep.

Instead, she had looked at her brother and said, "Where are the twins?"

She had been adamant in leaving the medical ward, insisting that she had to see her children first and foremost. Once she was checked over by the medical staff and given a clean bill of health, she donned a white robe to cover the scrubs she wore and had made her way to Tony's loft apartments to see her children. Tony had followed her in his worry.

The moment Ana had laid eyes on Luc and Beccie playing with Erai in the living area of the loft, Cammie's ever watchful and protective presence sitting close by, she had called out to her children. The relief could be heard in her voice and the toddlers had jumped up at the sound of her, their cries of "Mama!" echoing throughout the room as they ran straight toward her. Ana had kneeled down and swept the both of them up in a tight embrace, muttering loving words as the link between them grew stronger.

Erai had gotten up and slowly moved over to stand beside Tony, seeing the frown of worry on the billionaire's face as they watched Ana. Cammie, seeing the family together and knowing they needed a moment, had slipped away to Tony's lab to get Jenn.

"You told her," said Erai, his voice a quiet tone so that they would not disturb Ana and the twins.

"I couldn't beat around the bush," Tony said in reply, his arms folded across his chest. He was looking tense as he drummed his fingers against a bicep. "She already knew something was wrong but now… Now, she's too calm…"

Erai said nothing in response.

The Lyttan knew his twin very well and the way she was now it was quite obvious that his sister Erin was shining through Ana. Her anger was dormant at the moment because her children were safe and accounted for. Yet, he could sense it; the anger was rising slowly and surely like a dormant volcano. It would only be a matter of time but Ana was going to explode and heaven help the source of her rage the moment it happened. He was going to have to stay close to make sure she did not intentionally harm anyone or anything but even he was worried at the thought.

Together, Ana and Cin were powerful – even more so than Erin had been alone.

He only prayed that they would not be lost in their rage when the time came.

The sound of running footsteps had caught their attention at that moment and they all looked back to catch sight of Jenn making her way into the loft.

"Ana?" she asked, her voice sounding breathless with the anticipation.

" _Tante?_ " Ana had caught sight of her aunt and the shock was clear. Her aunt's new body was indeed a surprise and the sadness was clear on her face, having just been told that part of the story. With her children's little hands in her own, Ana got to her feet and moved to her aunt. Jenn moved forward with little hesitation and wrapped her arms around her family, her sobs rising from her trembling frame. Ana's own tears were falling as she pulled the twins close into the embrace, the toddlers snuggling closer. They could sense the familial link growing stronger and the happiness at feeling almost all of their family together again was palpable.

Tony watched the scene with a bittersweet smile. The family was not whole after all – they were still missing an important piece and Tony was concerned about what his little sister would do. They didn't know where Bruce had disappeared to thanks to the stealth tech on the Quinjet but they were scouring the globe for any signs of him. So far, there had been nothing.

It didn't mean they would give up the search...

-o-

A month had passed since Ana had awoken.

While Tony and Jenn were busy with building the new Avengers headquarters, Ana had remained at the tower with Erai and her children. There had been a change in her that much was certain. Her demeanor was quiet and reserved though she smiled and laughed around the twins. Anyone could see that something in her was missing.

"She cannot feel her mate," said Erai to Cammie one day as they stood vigil over Ana and the twins. They were in Ana's apartments in the living room and they were playing a kind of fishing game with a couple of toy fishing poles with magnets on the end of them. Around them were wooden fishes of different sizes and colors with numbers on them.

Cammie glanced at Erai in question, she had known about the familial link that Ana had to the rest of the family. They were all linked to her and they could all feel one another because of that. Her link to her husband had been the second strongest just below that of her link to her children. Hearing Erai say this, Cammie knew that that was not a positive sign. If she could not sense Bruce through their link then there was a good chance he was too far from her or…

"Is there anything we can do?" she asked, her heart going out toward the other woman as she looked at Ana.

Erai gave a single shake of his head. "No. The bond between a mated pair is very strong but even that can be blocked or broken by either party involved if the will to end it is strong, the love too weak, or simply by death." He frowned at the last part of his statement, not liking the thought that his brother might be gone from this world. If Bruce was still here somewhere on Earth, Ana would have felt him unless… he was blocking her. Either thought was troubling.

"It's rare in our people but it has happened," he continued. "Those who suffered a broken or blocked bond would either grow despondent to the point of apathy or strong enough to live beyond the ache. If I know my twin, she would try to choose the latter for the sake of her children and the rest of us…"

Cammie could only frown in response to that as she looked back at Ana and the twins.

"Hey guys," a voice called from the entryway of the apartments and all eyes turned to find Tony making his way in. He was slipping his phone into his pocket as he walked up to Erai and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "How's my family today?"

Erai smiled at this, seeing the worry beneath the nonchalant manner that Tony liked to give off. "As well as one can hope," he said to his brother and they glanced at one another meaningfully before Tony gave a sigh and nodded, slapping his shoulder once more. He dropped his hand and moved forward to go and sit with Ana and the twins.

"Unca Tony!" the twins cried out at excitement at seeing their godfather and immediately swarmed to him to give him hugs and kisses. He gathered the toddlers up in his arms and laughed heartily as Beccie tried to worm in between her brother and godfather to get closer to him.

"Hi Tony," said Ana as she looked at her brother with a small smile, setting aside the fishing pole she had been using.

Tony, balancing between giving affection to the twins and being smothered by them, looked at Ana and gave a bright smile. An effort if there ever was one. "Hey kiddo, wanted to see if you were up to going for a ride with me? Go out there and get some fresh air? Have a few friends who want to see you."

Ana's smile had lessened at the mention of going out of the tower and she looked at the twins; it was a rare moment these days that she would be away from her children. "I don't know…"

"Please?" he asked, holding onto the squirming toddlers, who were demanding to be let go so they could go back to playing. He set them down but his eyes were still on Ana. "Barton has been asking about you. Finally convinced him to fly out here to see you."

At the mention of Hawkeye, Ana's smile relaxed just a little though she still hesitated. "He is a good man," she said as she looked at Luc and Beccie. "How is his family?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

Ana hesitated and glanced at Tony before her gaze flicked to Erai and Cammie. The Lyttan smiled at his sister and gave a nod. "I will come with you… You need not worry."

"You know I will guard the twins with my life," said Cammie, encouraging Ana in the only way she could. It would be good for her to get out of the tower for a while and spend time with her brothers.

Seeing that she was outnumbered, Ana sighed heavily and gave a nod. " _Tres bien_ Tony…"

His smile was genuinely brighter this time; it would be good to get his sister out and about. Maybe this would get some light back in her eyes… Maybe…

-o-

As Tony drove up the long drive that led to the new Avengers facility, all Ana could think as she caught sight of it was that it was definitely not as impressive as the tower. Yet, with all that went on she could say it was a safer option. Far away from any sort of civilization so that way no innocents would get caught up the middle of things again. The new headquarters were just a handful of various sized white buildings with teams of people going in, out and around the place as they worked or trained.

He pulled up to a stop in front of the main building and as Ana made to get out of the car she was surprised when someone had opened the door for her. She glanced up to catch sight of Steve Rogers, a charming smile on his handsome face as he held out a hand to help her out. Giving a small smile in return, Ana reached out to take his hand with a soft " _merci_ " and got out of the car only to be caught by surprise when the Captain had pulled her into a hug.

"You had us a little worried for a moment there," he said to her as he let her go and took a step back. "Welcome back, Ana."

She could be honest in saying she had not been expecting the normally reserved soldier to openly embrace her as he did but it had not been unwelcome. Ana's smile grew warm as she gave a nod to the Captain in return. "It is good to see you again, Steve…"

Tony and Erai had come to a stop behind Ana and the car, which was a sleek and sporty orange Audi, drove itself away to go to the nearby parking garage. It was Tony's car so of course it would have its own quirks. Steve looked at the two men and gave a nod in welcome before turning his attention back to Ana. "Welcome to the new Avengers headquarters." He then turned and led the way into the main building while the rest had followed in after him.

Steve was giving a rundown on what had been going on with the team, mostly for Ana's benefit, though she listened with halfhearted interest. He led the way through various corridors and rooms until he led them to what looked like the training room. It was large and filled with all kinds of equipment for a variety of uses and purposes for training in combat situations. A huge black mat dominated the center of this training room.

In the center of the mat, two women could be seen training in some sort of martial arts. A young man with silver hair and another being wearing a long golden cape were watching the two nearby. As the group neared, they could see it was Natasha Romanoff training a younger woman that Ana did not recognize at first. At the sound of their approaching footsteps, both women paused in their training and all eyes focused on the approaching group.

Ana could sense the tension as they neared. Some if it coming from Natasha but the majority of it radiated from younger woman with the long brown hair. Both of their gazes were straight on Ana and the closer they got, the more the tension rose. Ana could feel her muscles trembling as Captain America came to a stop just short of the mat. He looked back at Ana as he folded his hands behind his back. "We've gotten a few new members since the last time you were with us Ana. I'm hoping we can all work together in spite of all that's happened." He looked at the younger woman and gestured toward here. "This is Wanda Maximoff, her twin Pietro and Vision is there beside him. Everyone this is Ana Banner, wife of Dr. Bruce Banner."

Wanda had given a nervous smile as she looked at the captain, then her brother, before she took a hesitant step forward. "It is nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Banner," said Wanda as she wiped her sweaty palms on her leggings. "It is good to see you are all right."

Tony glanced at Wanda Maximoff and then to his little sister, seeing the tension that gripped her. Ana's brown eyes were focused solely on the mind witch and he knew that nothing good was going to come from this introduction. He was about to reach out to Ana, hoping to deflate the situation but Erai reached out and stopped him. Tony looked at the taller man in question and Erai had glanced at him in turn, giving a firm shake of his head.

It seemed it was too late to stop whatever was about to happen.

Ana, try as she might, could not hold back the rage that was threatening to boil over at the sight of the mind witch and her twin. She knew of them and she knew what they had done to help fight against Ultron and his army of drones. Yet, she could never forget the harm they had done to all that was her own before they had a change of heart. She could not forget that it was because of this mind witch in particular that her husband was no longer by her side.

The crimson veins in Ana's neck began to darken in color and grew down towards her limbs. She took a step forward and, without warning, she pulled her arm back and swung out, her fist slamming against Wanda's jawline. The other woman was caught off guard by the sudden attack and was thrown backwards from the force, landing hard on her backside.

There were shouts of protest from Pietro and Steve Rogers but Ana let out a snarl in defiance as she clenched her fists, flames erupting. She took a step forward as she stood over Wanda, her voice a husky growl. "It's your fault. Your fault he left me. Your fault he left our children. He was always afraid of that side of himself and you made it a _reality_!" She screamed the last word as her pain washed over her, all of the anger and sadness exploding in a wave of heat that threw back everyone from the force of it. Ana took advantage of that moment and reached down to grab Wanda by the neck, her fingers just beginning to form into hardened red claws. "Give me a reason… Give me a reason why." She lifted her up with little effort; Wanda's gasping breath was like music to her ears.

The mind witch could have fought back but the guilt had made her freeze and as she stared down at the glowing yellow eyes of the woman, her regret and guilt grew. "I am… s-sorry," she managed to choke out. "I am s-so sorry."

"Ana," a voice called out, who it was she could not tell but Ana did not respond at first.

There was a moment of silence as she stared at the mind witch with such hatred before she said, "I'm in control." Her voice was husky, growling between the words, a clear sign that Cin was present here. "Ana may not want to hurt you but I have no qualms with seeing that little head of yours explode…"

"Cin!" Tony called out, having gotten back to feet, and moved quickly but carefully over to her. "Cin, don't do this… I know you're hurting. I know Bruce's disappearance cut you deep… but don't do something you're going to regret. Don't make the same mistakes she did just for revenge."

The others had rushed back to the mat after getting back to their feet, surrounding the two women.

"Erin," Erai joined in as he walked carefully up to his twin, reaching out to run gentle fingers along the arm that held Wanda. "You know this is not what Ana would want…"

"Cin!" a new voice had joined the group and all eyes turned to see Hawkeye had joined them at some point, more than likely having heard the commotion. He was not the only one since there was a large gathering of people crowding around the doorway. A quick glance around and they could see operatives were already making their way in, probably at Fury's word, in case Cin lost control. Hawkeye kept his gaze on the raging woman as he came to a stop beside Tony. "Cin… Think about your twins. Your family…"

She hesitated as the tears began to well up in her eyes, her growls winding down to choking sobs. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared up at the mind witch, her hatred clear, before she threw the woman down to the floor. Pietro was by Wanda's side at once, checking her over to make sure she was ok. The younger woman had burn marks in the shape of a clawed hand, already it was beginning to blister. Not to mention the bruise from the punch she had received, it was already beginning to show.

Cin clenched and unclenched her fists as she stared at the team of Avengers that surrounded her, her body visibly trembling from the effort of restraining herself. She took in a breath as she looked at Steve Rogers and snarled. "I cannot be a part of this… I won't. Not with her." She looked at Tony and gave a shake of her head. "I can't… I'm sorry."

Tony could only stare at his little sister, understanding the reasons why. He only gave a small sad smile and nodded in reply.

With that done, she turned on her heel and took off with barely a backwards glance. She let out a fierce scream as she erupted from the force of containing her change, crimson veins glowing with heat as red claws tore through the wall of the building. She needed to get outside… She had to get of here…

The others could only stare as they watched the raging woman that was the Hulk's mate escape outside. The team of Avengers left behind had no words to say. What could one say in such a situation? Tony wasn't sure himself. The only thing he knew was that his little sister was in pain and he had to make sure she didn't do anything to bring harm to herself or those around her. Fury had already been one step ahead of them and there was a team gathering to go after and do damage control if need be. Tony was about to go with the team but Erai had held him back for a quick word.

"She needs time," he said, "If you need to follow her then do so from a distance. Let her be… She will come home."

Tony gave a nod, grateful that Cin's twin was around to give advice on how to deal with their little sister. "Yeah… But I won't be far."

Erai smirked at this. "I wouldn't expect you to. I will find her later when she has had time… This was just too much too soon. She is still hurting…"

Tony sighed heavily as he glanced at the large gaping hole in the wall. "No kidding…" he said before he looked back at the team of Avengers who were gathered around Wanda and Pietro. Things were changing all around them. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his little sister along the way.

-o-

Elizabeth "Betty" Ross was enjoying a quiet evening by the fireplace in her home, a glass of red wine was on the end stand beside her arm chair and a good book was on her lap. She had had a long day at the university and was finally getting a chance to unwind…

The hard knock at her front door caught her off guard.

She looked up from the book and stared out the living room window. It was dark out, close to ten at night, and was raining something fierce. Who in the world would be knocking at her door this late?

Setting the book aside, she got up from the arm chair and made her way to the front door. She glanced out the side window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her unexpected visitor. She caught sight of a short figure standing under the porch light. They were wearing tattered clothing and had a mane of dark, wet curls but she couldn't make out the face.

Her suspicion growing – there was something about the person that was familiar – she went to the door, unbolted it and opened cautiously. At the sound of the door opening, the person looked up and Betty let out a surprised gasp. "Ana…?"

Ana's eyes were bloodshot and as she shifted from where she stood, Betty could see that she was barefoot. She looked behind Ana's form but did not see Bruce or the twins; she didn't even see a car anywhere in her driveway or in the street. She looked back at Ana, her worry growing. "Ana, what are you doing here? Where's Bruce and the kids?" She opened the door wider and stepped outside to pull the other woman into her home.

Once inside, she closed the door and pulled Ana into the living room to sit next to the fire. She grabbed a comforter from off the sofa and wrapped it around her friend as she helped her sit. Ana was trembling and crying, a woman who looked lost and broken.

"H-He's gone…" she muttered, staring down at the floor as she trembled. "He's gone…" She looked up at Betty as she shook her head. "Bruce is gone… H-he disappeared… I don't... I –" She shook her head once more as she buried her face in the comforter. "Cin almost killed – I couldn't control… I don't know what to do," she said before the sobs erupted from her, choking off everything else.

Betty felt the shock hit her system at the news that Bruce had disappeared. She knew things had been going rough for the Avengers with this the whole Ultron business. Bruce and Ana had confided in her when they were looking for a safe house for the twins. When things had calmed down, she had assumed that they were both all right since Erai had come for the twins.

Now this happened…

"Oh sweetie," she said, understanding Ana better than anyone could hope to at that moment. She had been there first after all. She knew exactly how the other woman was feeling. "Come here… It's gonna be ok…" She pulled Ana into a tight embrace as she brushed the wet curls from her face. "It'll be all right…"

-o-

 _~_ End of Part 4 _~_


	80. The Sound of a Smash

_Every day I think_

_Of what you said to me_

_How we must maintain the rage_

_Of the educated, young and free…_

**The Power of Youth** – The Go Set

-o-

_~Intermission~_

Chapter 80: The Sound of a Smash

The sound of a smash coming from the lab was the first thing that set Ana to dropping the book she had been reading in the living area of Tony's loft. Her aunt Jenn and Vision had been sitting across from her spot on the plush leather sofa at a table, deeply immersed in a game of chess, when the smash emerged.

The sound of a smash, or any kind of destructive noise, emanating from Tony's lab was never a good sign.

Especially when it was Tony alone with the twins.

Ana was already feeling her annoyance growing as she ran toward the lab, wondering what sort of trouble her big brother was getting into with the twins now…

She could hear footsteps from behind her and recognized her aunt's distinctive footfalls. Considering that there were only hers and not Vision's meant that he was hovering close behind. Not paying them any further thought, Ana had emerged into the lab and glanced about, her deep brown eyes searching the layout of the lab.

What caught her attention was, not the sight of Tony doing anything destructive with the twins, but of the twins themselves.

Jenn and Vision had stopped behind Ana and took in the sight that had caught her off guard.

The room was silent as what they were witnessing began to sink in.

"Hey guys," Tony's voice was a little strained as he caught sight of them. He wiggled a little in an attempt to free himself from the metal workings and wires he had gotten tangled in. "A little help?"

On either side of him, Luc and Beccie were giggling as Luc picked up one of the metal bars from the floor and wrapped two tiny hands on either end of it. With a soft grunt, his hands began to deepen to a crimson color, tiny veins glowing with subdued heat, as he bent the metal pipe and proceeded to wrap it around his godfather's already bound ankles. Beccie let out a squeal of excitement as she ran around her godfather and grabbed another metal bar from a pile of what looked like a destroyed table and some lab equipment – the source of the smashing sound.

As she picked up the pipe, she caught sight of her mother and ran toward her, her brown eyes alight with all the wonder a toddler could feel at discovering something new. "Mama! 'Ook!" she said, still not quite getting her _L_ 's right but sounding so adorable because of it. She held up the metal bar as she stopped in front of Ana and looked at the bar. Her little face was scrunched in concentration as she stared at the bar, a moment passed before Beccie's little hand began to deepen to a familiar green hue. The tip of the metal bar then burst into emerald fire, burning bright for a few seconds, before it bent over and broke. The fire from the metal tip went out and it fell to the floor with a cooling splat, already hardening.

Beccie looked up at her mother, her face filled with awe and pride. "See Mama? See?"

"Oh my god," said Jenn, uttering the sentiment that Ana was thinking right now.

"It would seem that Dr. and Mrs. Banner's unique physiology is finally manifesting itself in their children," said Vision, his curiosity and wonder at the twins' newly discovered abilities.

"No kidding," said Tony from across the way, watching his godson as the toddler proceeded to bend another metal bar and wrap it around the man's legs. He looked up at the others, watching as Ana scooped down to pick Beccie up, reaching out to gently pull the destroyed bar from her daughter's hand as she did so. She then moved quickly toward her brother, setting the bar aside on a table.

"Luc, enough play, ok?"

"Kay, Mama!" he said, his smile bright as he bent another metal bar.

Ana felt herself growing slightly faint as she looked back at her aunt before she looked at Tony. "How did you…?"

"Get tangled in this mess?" Tony provided helpfully, his tension easing now that Ana was here to help control the twins. "Simple enough little sis. I was working on a new propulsion system for the Mark XLVI when Luc here took a page out of his daddy's book and smashed the table I was working on with me and everything on it."

Ana looked at her son, who looked up at her and giggled, bending another piece of metal. His red hued hands a startling reminder as to whose son he was.

"Then, while I was trying to untangle myself from the mess, little man started using his new found strength to wrap those bars around my legs. Princess over there, not wanting to be one upped, starting showing her ability to produce Maleficent levels of green fire casting." He smiled at Ana, now finding the entire situation funny. "The Big Guy would be proud."

Ana could only stare at her brother, the words he spoke and the reality of it all sinking in. She couldn't help the laughter that emerged as she looked at her son and daughter, her lasting reminders of the man she loved, and pulled them both into a strong embrace. "You two… Oh, my sunshines." She continued to laugh as she let them go and looked her aunt Jenn and Vision. "Do you think we should leave him here for a bit?"

"What?"

"Considering he didn't keep the twins out of trouble…" said Jenn, her smile filled with amusement.

"This is not my fault!"

"I think the twins need some ice cream," said Ana, taking the twins by the hands. "What do you say my sweets?"

The twins echoed out a chorus of "Yay!" as they followed their mother out of the lab and toward the kitchen. Jenn and Vision, glancing back at Tony with chuckles, followed after them.

"Hey!" said Tony, struggling to get out of the mess. "Hey! I want ice cream too!" He stopped moving and let out a huff. "At least save me some!" He called out before he looked down at his bound ankles and sighed. Well, at least he had a free afternoon…

A moment later, he heard footsteps coming into the lab and he looked up to find Ana walking toward him. She was smiling as she leaned down and took hold of the metal bars around his ankles. With the sight of crimson-veined hands, she loosened up the bars and threw them aside before moving over to help Tony out of the mess. "C'mon big brother…"

Tony smiled at her before he let out a chuckle and took her hand to get to his feet…


	81. Part 5: Try to Remember

_There's something inside of me_

_It's hopeful but bittersweet_

_I think in time you will see_

_The memories never fade…_

**Grown Apart** – Lisa Shaw

-o-

~Part 5~

Chapter 81: Try to Remember

"Try to remember the kind of September… When grass was green…"

The tinkling tunes of a piano could be heard; it was a sorrowful and bittersweet song that drifted through the living room. The voice that accompanied the music was almost as soft and bittersweet; a distant echo of longing could be heard. It was the kind of voice and music that heralded nostalgia for days long gone by…

The sound of footsteps coming into the living room ceased the music for just a moment before it began again. The voice did not resume in its singing and instead was directed to a prone figure lying on the couch. "Wake up dear and say goodbye to your father."

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?" The person who entered the living room was a middle aged gentleman with a full head of white hair that was stylishly cut and swept away from his handsome features. He was dressed smartly in a pressed business suit and carried a briefcase and some luggage, which he left at the threshold of the doorway to the living room. He then entered the room and headed toward the piano, leaning down to kiss the middle aged woman who sat there. She tilted her head to the side to receive the kiss, her graceful fingers moving seamlessly over the piano keys.

The figure who was lying on the couch had sat up, a Santa's hat sitting askew on their head. He turned around to look at the man and woman, revealing himself to be a much younger Tony Stark. He looked to be around twenty or so years of age, the style of the clothing he wore and the décor of the room he was in indicated it was the very early nineties. His face was clean shaven and smooth, the face of a youth untouched by the path he would soon be traveling in his life. He was boyishly handsome, a younger image of his father but with his mother's features mixed within to add a gracefulness to the awkward touch of young adulthood.

"This is why I love coming home for Christmas," said Tony as he staggered to his feet. "Right before you leave town."

"Be nice dear," said Tony's mother, Maria, as she continued to play. "He's been studying abroad."

"Really?" asked Tony's father, Howard, as he watched his son pass him by. "Which broad? What's her name?" He reached out when his son passed him, pulling off his Santa's hat with a familiar smirk.

"Candice," said Tony in response as he glanced at his father while making his way to a white support pillar. He frowned in a sullen manner, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Do me a favor?" said Howard as he moved over to stop behind his son, setting the Santa's hat on an end table. "Try not to burn the house down before Monday."

"Ok, so it's Monday," said Tony in response, barely glancing at the older man. "That is good to know. I will plan my toga party accordingly." He paused and glanced back, seeing that his father had already walked away. "Where are you going?"

"Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway," said Maria in response to his question, the look on her face knowing that the question had been directed to her husband. Howard had not responded.

"We might have to make a quick stop," said Howard, glancing at his wife.

"At the pentagon, right?" asked Tony, the question once again directed at his father. It was clear through his gestures and words that uncertainty lingered about him and a need for his father's attention was prevalent. "Don't worry, you're gonna love the holiday menu at the commissary."

The sound of the piano stopped and silence lingered for a moment.

Howard turned to look at his son and the familiar smirk that Tony would come to inherit graced his mustached lips. "You know, they say sarcasm is a metric for potential." He walked over to his son and reached out to slap a hand down on his shoulder. "If that's true, you'll be a great man someday." His hold on his son's shoulder lingered for a moment before he let go and looked at Maria. "I'll get the bags." He then left the room, silence once again lingering.

"He does miss you when you are not here," said Maria as she carefully closed the lid to the piano keys and stood up. She moved over to grab her handbag and slowly walked over to her son as she slipped it over her shoulder. "And frankly, you're going to miss us… because this is the last time we're all going to be together." She stood behind her son, studying his face as he turned his head slightly to look at her. "You know what's about to happen. Say something… If you don't, you'll regret it." She then leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss against his cheek.

He closed his eyes, sinking in the feeling of the love his mother gave him. It was warmth. A knowledge that no matter what the world threw at him, his mother's love was a constant in his life. Even for those moments he questioned his father's…

When she pulled away, an older Tony Stark could be seen standing in the background, watching the scene with an indifferent mask on his face while shaded glasses hid his eyes from view.

"I love you Dad," said young Tony as he glanced back, seeing Howard lingering in the doorway of the living room with luggage in hand. "And I know you did the best you could." With that, Howard and Maria Stark left the home with the younger Tony staring sullenly after them and the older Tony watching him.

"That's how I wished it happened," said the older Tony as the scene froze around him and he started to walk toward his younger self. "Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing… or BARF." He paused at this when he felt a sudden rush of warmth and amusement well up within him. The corners of his lips twitched, recognizing the feeling. It did not come from him but from someone whom he dearly loved. He glanced to his left, staring at the far wall of the living room, his gaze focused on a particular point. "God, I gotta work on that acronym…" He shook his head and continued, looking at a candle that was burning on top of the piano. “An extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus to…. clear traumatic memories." He walked over to the candle and blew it out. Everything around him began to shimmer and then slowly disappear in various shades of blue light.

It had all been a hologram.

"It doesn't change the fact that they never made it to the airport… or all the things I did to avoid processing my grief… but…" He pulled off his shades and his hazel eyes glanced out to the audience he was addressing. The hologram had been set on a stage in an auditorium, the stage lights shining down on Tony Stark as he began to walk toward the front of the stage. On either side of him there were signs that read: _MIT Alumni Honors: Tony Stark_. "Plus, six hundred and eleven million dollars for my little therapeutic experiment?" He shook his head as he placed the shades in his pocket. "No one in their right mind would've funded it."

He took a moment to read the teleprompter before his gaze flicked back to the audience. "Help me out, what's the MIT statement? 'To generate, disseminate… and preserve knowledge.'" The audience of young students echoed the statement along with him. He gestured out toward them. "'And work with others… To bring it to bear on the world's greatest challenges.' Well, you are the others… and, quiet as it's kept, the challenges facing you are the greatest mankind's ever known." He turned his head and that familiar smirk graced his goateed lips. "Plus, most of you are broke."

A smattering of laughter and chuckles emerged from the crowd in response to that statement, the undertone of agreement was hard to ignore.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said once the laughter had died down. "Rather, you were. As of this moment, every student has been made an equal recipient of the Inaugural September Foundation Grant." He glanced around at the audience. "As in… all of your projects have just been approved and funded."

There was an explosion of cheering and clapping from the audience at this bit of news. Tony gave a nod as he took a step back and held out his hands. "No strings, no taxes… Just reframe the future! Starting now."

The teleprompter above the audience that Tony had been reading rolled by with the words he had said. It looked like it was going to continue but something had stopped it and it continued rolling on, the last of "starting now" disappearing from the screen entirely.

A pang of sadness hit Tony at that moment, knowing what the words were supposed to be, and rather thankful that a particular someone had caught that in time. "Go break some eggs," was all he said before he turned and exited stage right.

Waiting for him in the wings of the stage was a face that made these particular days easier to bear, the soft smile on her lips a welcome one as he made his way toward her. "BARF, big brother?" she asked, her copper brown curls had been cut short and were now framing her face, her deep brown eyes dancing with amusement. A silk scarf was wrapped around her neck, hiding her inhumanity from view. "Really?”

Tony came to a stop in front of her as he took the bottled water she offered him. "It was all I could think up at the last minute," he said as he opened the bottle and took a swig of water. Her gentle laughter touched his heart and he smiled down at Ana. "Thanks for being my assistant today…"

"Of course," she said, waving it off. "It was either this or potty training with the twins… I really needed the break."

"Betty doesn't mind babysitting?" he asked, his smile growing as he studied his little sister.

"As long as Erai tags along with them," she said in response, her own smile growing at this.

Tony let out a chuckle, knowing of the growing affection and relationship between Cin's twin brother and Elizabeth Ross that had happened over the past year. It inadvertently brought his mind back to how his own relationship had fallen apart and the distance that had grown between Pepper and him. They were no longer on speaking terms after she had ended their relationship not shortly after the Sokovia incident over a year ago. She had made it clear that she had had enough of it all and if he was not willing to step away from the hero business then she would step away herself.

Needless to say, her connection among the family had waned and finally broken.

Ana had felt the loss but she had said nothing of it. It had been a long time coming.

Instead, she remained by her brother's side despite her own heartache and supporting him in whatever way she could that did not include Avengers' business. Tony had been grateful for that. She could have easily stayed as far away as possible and broken all contact. Yet, she did not.

Ana had made it clear, despite losing her husband, that she loved her family more and wanted them to stay together.

"Thanks for that by the way," said Tony as he screwed the cap back on the bottle.

"No problem," she said, knowing that he spoke of the teleprompter. They all had had enough reminders of their losses.

"Wow!" said an unexpected voice from behind them and they both turned back to see a bald Caucasian man with thick black glasses making their way toward them. It was clear he was one of the staff members of MIT, probably a teacher. His gaze was strictly on Tony. "Wow! That- that took my breath away! Oh Tony!" He was about to reach out to take Tony's hand when Ana had smoothly moved herself in between them, looking as if she had been meaning to move out of the way. Because of this the man's hand had instead grazed Ana's breasts and, as if a switched had been turned on, she instantly turned on the man, her face filled incredulity.

"What do you think you are doing!" she yelled as she faced the man, her hands cradling her bosom as if she had been scalded. "How dare you! Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" She continued on in this way, yelling at the man in both English and French. The man was apologizing profusely, trying to diffuse the situation. The entire scene was drawing attention towards them and away from Tony.

Tony was trying so hard not to laugh as he took the opportunity that Ana had given him to slip away unnoticed. He emerged in a quiet corridor and made his way towards the men's room. However, he did not go in. Instead, he loitered around and waited.

A moment later, Ana appeared through the stage doors, glancing up and down the hallway before she caught sight of him. She hurried toward him, a smile playing on her lips as she came to a stop beside him. "They are like vultures, _non_?"

"Comes with the fame and fortune," he said in reply as he turned and started walking up the corridor, heading toward an elevator that could be seen. Silence hung between them and he glanced at Ana as she started walking beside him. He could see the tension in her eyes and the slight frown that turned down the corners of her lips once the smile had faded. It was a constant sight on her these days, especially after the twins' third birthday passed.

"Tell me why you really wanted to come today Ana," he said after a moment as he came to a stop and leaned against the wall behind him. He folded his arms across his chest as he studied her.

She came to a stop as well and turned to face him, her deep brown eyes searching his familiar face. After a moment, she brought her hands up and started to fiddle with the wedding band on her left hand, her usual nervous tick these days. Her gaze traveled down the corridor, where a lone figure could be seen in the distance standing in front of the elevator, waiting. She studied the figure- it looked like a woman dressed in somber, dark clothing- before she looked at Tony and gave a soft shake of her head. "I… needed a distraction," she said, "I – I… couldn't stay around the twins today… They're starting to resemble him more as they get older. They asked me when Daddy was coming home and I – I couldn't think of what to tell them. It hit me harder than usual…" At this, she ceased in fiddling with her gold ring, the band seemed rather simple at first but on closer inspection showed an engraving of Thor's hammer – the symbol of the House of Odin in its center. She looked up at her brother and the tears started. "I know it's been over a year and I shouldn't keep on the hope that he'll come back but… I miss him." She looked down as she started to tremble. "I _miss_ him!" She tried to choke back the sob that emerged and held her hand over her mouth, covering the sound as much as she could.

Tony immediately pushed off the wall and gathered Ana up in his arms, embracing her tightly as she cried. All of the many days and nights of the sadness that she had kept in check for the past year had finally exploded outward. Betty had become one of Ana's closest friends and anchors since the Sokovia incident. Tony was her brother but Betty was the one who understood what Ana was going through at this time. The sense of rejection and the self-doubt was prevalent in Ana's psyche now. Where before she had been secure in the knowledge of her husband's love for her and their family now she had lost all sense of who she was.

She had put up a strong front for those who loved her but even they could see she was not who she used to be. It didn't help that Cin had been too quiet after the initial explosion at the Avengers base. There had been no hint of a temper or flare up of her change. It was as if she had gone dormant…

The twins had certainly noticed the change in the dynamics of the family and as they got older they were becoming more aware that their father was gone. The stress of everything seemed to trigger something in the twins and they were showing unmistakable signs of being like their parents. Their outbursts had been minimal and happened only in the home thank goodness but it still happened and Ana was worried for her children. She did not want them to be at risk of being captured by interested parties who might catch wind of them…

"It's all right," said Tony as he pulled away and reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I understand… Broken hearts suck." He understood that part well at least. With Pepper breaking off from their relationship, he had been going through his own problems. He didn't outright make it obvious but Ana knew him well and she offered the comfort when he needed it. Now, she needed it and the world be damned if he was going to see his little sister cry. It was moments like these that he started to feel dislike toward Bruce for abandoning them…

"I'm good at distractions," he said as he slung an arm over her shoulders and started walking toward the elevator while he led her along. "I'll have Happy take us to get our hair and nails done then we'll go a shopping spree. I don't know about you but I've been desperate for a new pair of red pumps."

Her laughter was what he wanted to hear and he smiled before he leaned down to press a kiss against her temple. "You aren't alone… I'm here for you too, ok?"

She nodded and looked up at him, her watery brown eyes filled with gratitude. " _Oui,_ " she said, "Love you big brother…"

His smile was warm as his arm tightened around her shoulders. "Love you too kiddo…"

As they came to a stop by the elevator, the woman who had been standing there apparently waiting for it had glanced their way. She was an African American woman looking to be around her forties with short dark hair and a somber expression on her face. She had been listening in to their conversation and a thoughtful expression had replaced the somberness. It looked like she was conflicted about something but after a moment she had come to a decision and a resolved look had taken place.

"That was nice," she said, breaking the silence as she glanced at Tony and catching their attention. "What you did for those young people."

Tony, studying the woman as he carefully let Ana go, gave a nod. "They deserve it," he said as he glanced down at Ana. "Plus, it helps ease my conscience."

Ana gave a sad smile in response, knowing Tony as she did, and she reached out to rub a hand against his upper arm in comfort.

"They say," began the woman, "that there is a correlation between generosity and guilt."

Ana stiffened at once, her senses picking up on the tension easing from the woman's slight frame. Tony, having picked up on Ana's sudden sharp attention toward the other woman, looked at the woman in question.

"But if you've got the money," she continued, her dark eyes glancing at Ana before flicking back to Tony. "Break as many eggs as you like, right?"

Tony's gaze narrowed as he gave the woman a slight smile in response before turning to glance at the elevator. The button was unlit. A light frown twitched between his brows as he glanced at the woman, nonchalantly moving toward the elevator to press the button. "Are you going up?"

"I'm right where I want to be," said the woman as she opened her large purse and her hand disappeared within it, already rummaging through her belongings.

Without a second's hesitation, a sharp snarl emerged and within the blink of an eye the woman's hand was ripped from her purse. The woman's eyes were wide as she stared at Ana's glowing yellow ones, her lips curled back to reveal the beginnings of pronounced canines. Ana's grip on the woman's wrist was tight and it was trembling from the suppressed rage Ana was trying to keep in check. In the woman's hand, a single photo could be seen of a young man.

"Hey, hey, OK!" said Tony as he rushed forward to rest a calming hand on the small of Ana's back while his other reached out to gently pry her fingers from the woman's wrist. Slowly, Ana began to calm and she blinked once before the realization took hold. Cin, who had been dormant for a year, had taken over for that split second, seeing the woman as threat to her brother.

"Sorry," he said as he pulled Ana back away from the woman and firmly against his side. "Sorry… it's an occupational hazard. Have to be careful."

"I-I work for the State Department," said the woman as she clutched the picture close, her gaze now frightened and wary. She reluctantly dragged her gaze back to Tony. "I know it's boring…" She took that moment to calm her racing heart, the younger woman having frightened the living daylights out of her. Her original plan of confronting Tony Stark had gone out the window; she had not been expecting this woman with him or the inhuman ways about her. Yet she had come this far. She was not going to give up. "But, it enabled me to raise a son. I'm very proud of what he grew up to be." She looked at the photo in her hand before she looked at Tony. She had planned to shove it at him but the woman beside him ensured her to keep her distance. Instead, she held out the photo for them to see.

The young man was handsome, his eyes filled with bright promise.

"His name was Charlie Spencer," she said, her eyes now getting watery and feeling bolder with each moment. "You murdered him. In Sokovia. Not that it matters in the least to you. You think you fight for us? Who's going to avenge my son? He's dead… and I blam-"

"Don't."

The voice that spoke stopped the woman in her tracks and she focused her attention on Ana.

The younger woman was visibly trembling as she stared at the other woman. "Don't you dare." She was clenching her fists and ignoring the calming gestures Tony was giving. She kept her gaze on the woman as she shook her head. "You think you're the only one who has lost… The only one who is going through…?" She hiccupped as the tears came, unbidden and angry. "I lost my husband in Sokovia. My children lost their father in Sokovia. We lost him because he was fighting against the monster that not only killed your son but would have killed all of us!" She took in a shattered breath. "I could blame Tony… I could blame the person who had set him on that path to Sokovia… It's so much easier to find someone to blame." She laughed in a bitter way. "It makes the grief so much easier to bear… But I don't." She looked at the woman and her angry trembling began to fade. "I'm sorry you lost your son… I am so sorry you have to feel that grief everyday… But don't blame my brother… Blame the people who have to make us fight."

At this, her shoulders slumped and all of the rage and sadness finally drained.

There was heavy silence before the woman took a slow step forward and, with a trembling hand, held the photo out toward Ana. The younger woman stared down at the photo before she looked at the older woman. The woman was fearful, finally registering just what kind of people and monsters this world of theirs contained, but she was brave and she faced Ana, seeing the reality of the inhumanity in her. "You're right," she said, "It's easier to find someone else to blame… Every day I think what I could've done differently to keep him from getting on that plane, to find some way to keep him here with me where he would've been safe and alive. It doesn't change anything… I blame Mr. Stark but I mostly blame myself." She carefully took Ana's hand and placed the photo of her son within it. "You say you're a mother… If you had lost your children, you would understand."

The two women gazed at one another and the stricken look on Ana's face at the thought of losing her children was all that the other woman needed to see. She gave a nod as she gently pushed Ana's hand with the photo toward her. "I see you for what you are… See me for what I am…"

With that, she glanced once more at Tony before she turned and walked away, leaving the two of them standing alone in the corridor. Tony, not knowing what else to do or say, reached out and pulled Ana back into a warm embrace as they watched the grief stricken mother disappear around the corner.


	82. A Lingering Touch

_I can't get away with murder_

_I am bound to take it further_

_I'm still here with a fire burning_

_Burning inside_

_If you want to burn_

_Light it up_

_Let it rise…_

**Deal With the Devil** – Pop Evil

-o-

Chapter 82: A Lingering Touch

A lingering touch against the photo of young man who had been killed, the woman who held the photo in her hand bore a contemplative look on her face. Ana was deep in thought, her worries and concerns having been brought to the forefront of her mind after the confrontation with the mother of this young man.

Sitting beside her in the backseat of the black vehicle that Happy drove, Tony Stark was reading on the background of the young man named Charlie Spencer and all that he had done his in life prior it coming to an abrupt end in Sokovia.

In the background, a local news channel was playing over the radio waves regarding an update to an ongoing story that had been plastered over every media outlet in the past month, "… 11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occur-"

The radio station was switched and a brief moment of static could be heard before it picked up the signal of another station. "- operating outside and above international law. What legal authorities do enhanced individuals like Pietro and Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria…"

Happy switched off the radio and the silence resumed, heavy and thick.

"What legal authority do these private organizations, these terrorists groups, have inside _and_ outside of their own country when they are working on their own personal agendas and gains?" asked Ana into the silence as she continued to study the photo. "The LIFE Foundation had no respect for sovereign borders when they kidnapped me from my home country…" Her frown deepened as she looked at Tony. "My mother did not either when she called in her own group to rescue me… The Avengers are doing their best in their fight to protect people from the groups that threaten their safety."

"But where do we draw the line Ana?" asked Tony as he looked at his sister. "There has to be a limit on what we can and can't do. Otherwise, we're no better than them…"

Ana did not respond to that as she studied Tony, the car shifting as it made a turn. It was a difficult situation.

The silence lingered as the car came to a stop in front of the Stark office building.

Finally, Tony looked at Ana. "I have a few phone calls to make… Sorry if it seems a bit selfish but I'd like it if you stayed."

Ana gave a halfhearted smile and a small nod. "I'll give Betty a call. I'm sure she won't mind keeping the twins a little longer."

He returned her smile before his hazel eyes flicked down to look at the photo in her hand. "Would you mind if I kept that?"

Ana glanced at the photo before she held it out to him with little hesitation. "Of course."

He took the photo and studied it before placing it in the inside pocket of his jacket. "I'll have Happy take you out to get something to eat." He said as he opened the car door and got out before turning around to lean down in the doorway. "Happy, you don't mind right?" He asked, looking at his old friend.

The man in the driver's seat glanced over his shoulder and gave a shake of his head. "Nah, Tony, you know me. Ana and I got a favorite spot we like to hit, don't we Ana?" He looked at her and smiled; his affection for the younger woman was clear. Tony's bodyguard was protective and indulgent toward her and her children, especially since that fateful day her mother had died on his watch. Since then, he always kept an eagle eye on the woman his friend and employer considered family.

Ana returned the smile and gave a small laugh. "Oh yes, that we do."

"Great! Could you grab me something too?"

" _Oui,_ " she said, studying him. She was worried about her brother; he was quieter than usual since that confrontation. A serious Tony was never a good sign.

"Thanks, I'll see you when you get back." With a last smile and a hand slapping down on the roof of the car, he closed the door and then turned to disappear into the building.

Ana watched him leave, her frown deep as Happy started to drive away…

-o-

When Happy had dropped Ana at the front of the office building a couple of hours later, with Tony's lunch in hand, she was feeling apprehensive.

She had just gotten off the phone with Betty and her friend had not minded keeping the twins for longer than expected. Yet, it was the piece of news that Betty had given her that made Ana worried.

Her father, Thaddeus Ross – former Army general and now Secretary of State – was meeting with Tony at that very moment in regards to the Avengers. Betty knew her father better than anyone and, with all that had happened regarding Bruce and the Hulk over five years prior, she had kept tabs on the whereabouts of her father at all times. She didn't trust the man, not after everything he had done to Bruce, and they were no longer on speaking terms because of it. This was why she had stressed to Ana the very importance of keeping her guard up around him and making sure that he did not do anything underhanded to compromise the safety of her and the twins.

Secretary Ross had always been a manipulative bastard and he would do whatever he could to gain control over powerful beings such as the Avengers let alone someone like Ana. Betty said she only hoped he was unaware of the twins' existence but with Ana's constant visits to her home over the past year with the twins and Cin's brother, there was a good chance he was very much aware of all of them.

"I'm sorry," Betty had said on the other end of the line. Her tone had been filled with regret. "I should've realized that my father would've been keeping tabs on me as I have been on him. Whatever you do, don't be alone in the same room with him. He's not above doing something deplorable to get what he wants."

"I'll be careful _mon ami_ ," Ana had said, her worry quite clear in her voice but her resolve to be there for her brother overriding her apprehension. " _Tante_ Jenn has already been keeping the twins under the radar since before their birth. I doubt your father would be aware of who they are if he's seen them."

"Don't underestimate the General," she had said, her tone filled with something akin to loathing. "I don't doubt Jenn's abilities but this is my father we're talking about… Always be on your guard with him." She had sighed heavily, the very subject of her father bringing on the anxiety. "Anyway, god forbid, but you know I'll make sure the twins are protected. I'm all packed and ready should we need to disappear."

Ana had felt a rush of relief and gratitude for the other woman. "If anything were to happen to me and Tony, I trust you to help Erai and my aunt to take care of Luc and Beccie… I want you to be their godmother. Will you?"

"Oh," Betty had been speechless on other line, the question unexpected but not unwelcome. A soft gasp of breath and then a soft laugh escaped from her. "Yes, you know I will. Of course… Thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for being there for us," Ana had said in turn, relieved that at least her children would be watched over and cared for. They already had a contingency plan put in place should the worst happen. Betty, Erai and Jenn - with their group- would be on the move with the twins and remain off the grid should anything happen to Ana and Tony. She was surprised and forever grateful that Betty was willing to turn her own life upside down for their sake and she had said this as much to her.

"It's not the first time," Betty had said with a slight smile in her voice. Ana knew Betty spoke of all she had done for Bruce during their journey to New York and the hell that had followed over five years prior in Harlem. She had not hesitated then and she was not going to hesitate now for the very same reason. Bruce had meant the world to her and, though the kind of love it had been had changed, it was still there. Her willingness to do all she could to make sure that his children were taken care of, to maintain a close friendship with his wife, spoke volumes about the kind of person Betty was.

Selfless and kind.

The phone call had ended with reassurances from Ana to Betty that she would keep her guard up around the Secretary of State. There were promises of calls once whatever meeting Tony had with Ross was over. Ana knew that whatever meeting her brother was having with this man he would want her there for support. So, here she was, standing in front of the office building, a guarded feeling around her as she took in a breath to calm her beating heart. Cin had been dormant for over a year until that confrontation with Charlie Spencer's mother.

She had remained quiet afterward.

With that unexpected flare up, she wasn't going to be caught off guard again and she directed her thoughts toward her other self: _Please be calm…_

She didn't feel an acknowledgement of her thoughts being received and she didn't feel the usual warmth at the base of her neck when Cin was brimming beneath the surface and aware of what was going on. It had been that way for the past year and Ana could admit she was nervous. Cin was hardly ever silent and, aside from that brief flash, Ana was afraid for her other self. She was dealing with the grief of losing their mate the only way she could and that was letting Ana maintain control. She only wondered if Cin would remain that way after this…

-o-

Ana was a regular sight in the Stark offices that Tony worked in.

The moment she entered the building she was escorted from the lobby and straight to the Tony's office by a staff member. The younger woman, who was an attractive brunette, knocked on the wood door and waited for Tony's holler to enter before she opened the door.

"Mr. Stark, Mrs. Banner is here to see you," said the woman before she opened the door further and smiled at Ana, waiting for her to pass.

" _Merci,_ Shannon," said Ana as she smiled at the woman and entered the office. Once the door was shut closed behind her, her deep brown eyes settled on Tony, who was seated behind his desk. The lines of tension around his face were quite clear even from where she was standing. The moment his hazel eyes had flicked her way, the tension had eased and the smile that lit his goateed lips was one of relief.

"There she is," said Tony as he pushed back from the desk and got to his feet, an obvious desire to get away from the stress his guest had brought. "Bringing me sustenance in my time of need, thank you!" He came to stop in front of her as he reached out to grab the brown bag that she held out for him.

"You're welcome, _grand frère_ ," she said with an amused smile before her eyes were drawn to the older gentleman sitting in one of the plush leather chairs in front of the desk. He had turned in his seat to focus his attention on them but his gaze was on her.

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross was a man in his sixties with a head of full grey hair with some light brown mixed in that was swept back from a stern face. It was clear that Betty had inherited her expressive blue eyes from her father, though his eyes were guarded – more than likely from the many years of being in the Army. He sported an impressive mustache (the word _pornstache_ came to mind not surprisingly in Tony's voice) and Ana had to suppress the urge to laugh let alone smile. Tony had inadvertently rubbed off on her over the years.

When Ross got to his feet, he stood at an impressive height of six feet and two inches. His dark suit was clean and pressed and, as he adjusted his tie beneath his coat, Ana had the feeling she was being sized up. "I thought this would be a private meeting Mr. Stark," he said, his voice was deep and filled with the self-assured confidence of someone in authority. "Unless your guest has something of value to add."

"She's my assistant," said Tony as he started to open the bag and pull out a philly cheese steak. He set the brown bag on an end table that was against the wall before pulling off the aluminum wrapping. He took a huge bite before waving the sandwich her way, melted cheese and meat juice flying. "Her bidneth ith my bidneth," he continued with a mouthful.

"Ugh, Tony," said Ana, her nose scrunching up in disgust as she watched her brother take another bite, a deep chuckle escaping him. She rolled her eyes as she moved over to the end table to grab a few napkins from the brown bag. She moved back over to him and grabbed his free hand, stuffing the napkins in it.

"Mrs. Banner…?" asked Ross from behind her, his voice revealing the piqued interest that had been caught.

Ana, though she appreciated Tony's efforts at distracting, turned around to face the Secretary. Ross knew _exactly_ who – and what – she was. It wasn't as if she had been attempting to hide herself those two years she had worked with the Avengers. The smile he gave her was one that Ana could only describe as predatory though he was trying to come off as charming.

"Anamaria Banner," she said as she studied the older man's body language with a keen eye. He was very good at keeping a poker face but he was only human. Body language had a way of speaking what one was trying to hide if one paid very close attention.

The older man had moved toward Ana and held out a hand in the illusion of proper manners. Ana knew what he was doing but did not want to rock the boat just yet. She reached out to take his hand to shake and noticed his gaze flicking down to her hand before going up to her neck. No doubt he was looking for the physical signs of her inhumanity but that part of her was well hidden beneath the silk scarf.

"Ross, Secretary of State," he said, forgoing his first name in lieu of his title. His hold over her hand had tightened as he gave it a firm shake. "You're Bruce Banner's wife." His tone implied it wasn't a question. "You're like him: A member of the Avengers."

Left unsaid: _You're a destructive, raging monster._

"Former member," said Tony as he moved in between them to get to the end table that had the brown bag. There were fries in there he didn't get to grab. "She no longer does the hero business. Instead, she's head of the pharmaceuticals division that Stark Industries acquired several years ago."

Ross reluctantly released Ana's hand though he kept his gaze on her.

Ana was once again thankful for Tony's distractive ways and she turned to go sit in an empty chair in front of the desk. There was a slight tremor in her muscles and the feeling of slight warmth on the back of her neck. Her heart skipped a beat at these signs and she took in a breath to calm her rising nerves. Cin was aware and paying close attention.

"An interesting choice of profession," said Ross, turning to sit in the chair beside Ana's and adjusting himself so that he faced her.

"Family business," said Ana in reply, her smile was sweet but it did not reach her gaze.

"Ah yes, I seem to recall reading something about it," said Ross as he glanced at Tony, who was making his way back to his desk. "The merger between _Stark Industries_ and _Brandt Genetics and Pharmaceuticals_ back in 2012."

"Had to find something else in case the foray into clean energy took a little longer than expected," said Tony as he sat down in his chair and ate some fries. He offered some fries to the Secretary, who shook his head. Tony shrugged as he set the container of fries down on his desk.

"Had to find more business. Understandable," said Ross, though his words implied something else entirely. He turned his attention to Ana. "Your mother was Dr. Sidonie Brandt, geneticist?"

" _Oui,_ " was all Ana said in response. Her mother was still a sore spot with her especially when there was a reminder of the monster responsible for her death sitting beside her. She could feel the warmth on the back of her neck grow as her tension began to rise.

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Ross, his words as meaningless as his tone. "She was a leader in her field of research. Quite a brilliant mind…" He left it at that, his gaze lingering on Ana before he looked at Tony. "Yet, we have to get back to the heart of the matter. Since Mrs. Banner is here, it brings up the point of her previous involvement with the Avengers."

Tony froze for a split second and his hazel eyes focused on Ross. "She's not been an active member of the Avengers for over a year."

"Since before Banner's disappearance, right?" he said, looking at her with a flicker of keen interest.

"Right," said Tony, bringing the older man's attention back to him. "She's retired which means she isn't and won't ever be involved with what's going on with the Accords."

"I beg to differ," said Ross, his gaze focusing back Ana. "Her unique abilities as the being codenamed 'Cin' makes her a very real and possible threat to the public. The Sokovia Accords apply to her just as much as it does the others. Not to mention along with that other unnamed male with her same abilities we've seen with the Avengers –"

"She's had no reason to change in the past year," said Tony, his defensiveness over the woman he saw as a sister quite clear. "She has incredible control over what she can do so don't assume she's just some ticking time bomb ready to explode. And that other guy you're talking about is her brother- a man with impressive control over what he is. They both are no more a risk to the public than you or me."

The silence was palpable.

Everyone in the room knew the history of what potential both men had to be a risk to public safety.

"Be that as it may Mr. Stark," said Ross, glancing back at the billionaire. "It would be highly recommended that they both be there with the rest of the Avengers for this debriefing you called me for."

Tony was about to respond to this but Ana had beat him to it.

"I can't speak for my brother but I will be there," she said, her tone of voice calm and the look on her face blank.

Tony glanced at his her, surprise evident in his hazel eyes. She met his gaze and gave a firm nod. She would support him in whatever endeavor he decided but she mostly was doing it for the sake of her children. If going along with whatever Ross was planning would keep his focus on her, and away from checking up on his daughter and by extension the twins, it would be worth the trouble.

"I'm glad you understand the importance of this matter Mrs. Banner," said Ross, turning his gaze to her. "If you both are free, I suggest we head over to the Avengers Headquarters now and get this debriefing out of the way. I believe the entire team is already there?"

Tony, his gaze still on Ana, gave a silent nod in confirmation.

"Great," said Ross, clapping his hands together before getting to his feet. "I'll be outside waiting. When you're ready, we'll head out." He gave one last lingering look to Ana before he turned and left the office, shutting the door close behind him.

The moment they were alone, Tony turned his attention to Ana and the frown on his face grew. "Why are you doing this? You said you were done…"

"Because you're my brother and I love you and I am not going to have you deal with Ross alone," said Ana, her gaze flicking from the door towards him. "Betty warned me that her father was here and she warned me to keep my guard up. If she's aware of her father's whereabouts then it's a given he's been keeping track of hers. The more I keep his attention focused on what's going on here the better. If that means I remain trapped in the service of a tyrant then so be it. There is nothing I will not do for you or for them. My family's safety is my priority."

Understanding dawned in Tony's eyes as he studied Ana, the words left unsaid explaining the reasoning behind her actions.

"Well," he said, clearing this throat in an unnecessary way before he got to his feet. "Let's get this powwow over with then."

Ana scoffed at this but gave a nod as she got to her feet as well. As she made her way to follow Tony out of the office, her heart nearly dropped as she glanced down at her wrists. She had felt the warmth at the back of her neck but she did not think Cin had been that aware. The sight of crimson veins peaking on the edge of her wrists, barely visible underneath the cuffs of her long sleeved blouse, was not a good one. There was a good chance Ross had seen them and he would take that as a sign that she was not as in control as Tony had claimed her to be.

Well…

Too late now.

Pulling down the cuffs of her sleeves, she continued following after Tony, bracing herself for the meeting that was to come.


	83. Standing at the Head of a Table

_All in all_

_I'm loving every rise and fall_

_The sun will make_

_And I will take_

_Breath to be sure of this_

_In the end and end_

_All will be forgiven_

_When surrender rises high..._

**Tear** – Red Hot Chili Peppers

-o-

Chapter 83: Standing at the Head of a Table

Standing at the head of a table, Secretary Ross was looking over the group of assembled Avengers with a calculating eye. The group consisted of going clockwise from his left: James Rhodes, Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Vision, and the twins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Sitting off to the side in a separate chair from the group, Tony Stark was also watching them, his hazel eyes dancing around before he looked over to his left.

Leaning against the wall that was close to the opposite end of the table that Ross was lording over, Ana was standing close beside Tony, her arms folded beneath her breasts as she kept an impassive look on her face. Every once in a while, she could feel the curious eyes of one of the members glancing her way but she paid them no mind. As far as she was concerned, they did not matter in the slightest to her.

The Scarlet Witch was  _persona non grata_ in her world.

It had not been only her though.

The rest of the group had been caught by surprise at the sight of Ana standing beside Tony when they filed into the room for the meeting with the Secretary. They had not seen or heard from the raging woman since her explosive exit from the compound over a year prior. There had been more than a wary eye cast her way but she didn't acknowledge them save for Vision, who she offered a small smile.

The well-mannered being that had captured her aunt's heart was welcomed with open arms on his visits to see twins. The twins always enjoyed it when he picked them up and flew them around.

Aside from Vision, there were no looks or words of greeting to the others.

This was business through and through.

"Five years ago," began Ross as he looked out over the group of Avengers, "I had a heart attack."

Ana had immediately stilled at this, the casual mention of such a thing was not what set her on edge. It was the time frame in which he said it occurred. Five years ago, he had been a general in the army and hunting down her husband. Five years ago, he had inadvertently helped to bring into the world the very monster that would kill her mother…

She took in a breath to calm her beating heart, already feeling the tension and the warmth that belonged to her other self. This was going to be a long meeting.

"I dropped right in the middle of my backswing," Ross continued as he imitated the movement of swinging a golf club, a light smirk touching his face. He paused and straightened, placing his hands carefully within the pockets of his slacks. "Turned out to be the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass…" He focused his gaze on each of them. "I found something that forty years in the army had never taught me: Perspective." His gaze met with Ana's and he held that gaze for a heartbeat before he turned his attention back to the others. "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us… Protected us… Risked your lives… But…"

Ana glanced down at Tony and caught his gaze, already knowing where this was going though she had caught the tail end of his meeting with Ross. She wondered how the others were going to take it.

"While a great many people see you as heroes," said Ross, pausing slightly as he started to pace about the table. "There are others who would prefer the term 'vigilantes.'"

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" asked Natasha, keeping her gaze carefully guarded as she looked at Ross.

"How about 'dangerous?'" Ross answered, his gaze focused on the redhead before looking around at the others. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

"Neglecting the fact that the majority of these events this group had been involved in would have ended in catastrophe otherwise," Ana muttered to herself, her gaze focused on the Secretary. She heard a soft chuckle from beside her and she glanced down to catch Tony giving her a small smirk, having overheard her remark. She felt the blush in her cheeks but didn't look the least bit apologetic.

Ross, who did not hear Ana's commentary, continued on moving toward a large screen monitor. It turned on and displayed a map of the world; several locations along the map were marked with red dots. "New York." The map zoomed in to the location and it shifted in perception to a video feed.

The sound of deep roars erupted from the speakers and Ana froze.

Her gaze was drawn to the screen as they all watched the footage of the Hulk going on a rampage around Midtown. He had been fighting off a Chitauri Leviathan and causing damage to the surrounding buildings because of it. It was a scene that must have happened before they had stumbled across one another. She could feel Cin brimming beneath the surface and she had to close her eyes to keep the tears from falling. The constant ache in her heart seemed to flare up fresh and new at the reminder of her missing mate. She took in a breath and then two, willing Cin to remain calm.

She could feel the eyes of the others on her, could feel the weight of their worries and concerns, but she did not acknowledge them. She felt something tug on the hem of her shirt before she was pulled closer beside a chair, the familial link between Tony and her pulsing with affection and calm. She eased out a soft breath and sent out a feeling of gratitude to him.

Secretary Ross had glanced at Ana, seeing the tension that was gripping her form, before he switched the feed. "Washington DC." The map had resumed before zooming in on another spot on the map and a video feed of several of SHIELD's flying fortresses crashing down in a blaze. A direct result of all that went down with Hydra being revealed to be entangled with SHIELD.

"Sokovia."

The video switched to the terrible events that had happened in that country. The sight of the city rising from the ground, buildings crumbling, screams piercing the air, was a terrible one indeed. Ana could feel the sudden onslaught of guilt and sadness and it had not been from her. She reached out to gently run a hand over his dark hair, easing the emotions her brother was feeling. She felt his affection in turn.

"Lagos."

The last video was one of the many videos that had flooded every media outlet across the world. The aftermath of the bomb that had gone off, the destruction, the crying and screaming of the wounded, the silence of the dead…

"OK," said Steve, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he kept his gaze firmly away from the monitor. "That's enough."

Ana could feel the heaviness in the air as the weight of everything seemed to register with the group. Each with their own demons and guilt…

"For the past four years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision," said Ross as he shut off the monitor and turned to face the group once more. "That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate." He made his way over to a gentleman who had been standing guard in the corner, one of his men, and took a thick book from his hands. "But I think we have a solution." He turned around and made his way to the table, setting the thick book down on the table in front of Wanda and Pietro. A calculative move if there ever was one.

The book had a nondescript cover – plain white with dark blue text – with the title _Sokovia Accords: Framework for the Registration and Deployment of Enhanced Individuals._ The symbol of the United Nations was below this title and below that was fine print that stated the Accords being ratified by the very countries that had been directly affected by battles that the Avengers had been a part of.

"The Sokovia Accords," began Ross as he walked around the length of the table. "Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries…" His gaze focused on Tony and then Ana as he passed them before he moved on to address the others. "It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when – and if – that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place," said Steve as he glanced up at Ross. The look on his face was unreadable. He had learned to maintain a better poker face over the past year. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me Captain," said Ross as he came to a stop beside Steve. "Do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?"

Silence greeted this question.

No one knew where the good doctor or the Asgardian was.

When Ross' gaze had settled on Ana, she returned his gaze with a blank look, her form absolutely still.

He was probing and testing, of that Ana had no doubt. The older man was quite obvious in his goals and Ana could only feel a pang of sorrow for her friend. Her father had cared more for his pursuit of power instead of caring for his only daughter. Even now…

"If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences," said Ross, looking away from Ana and back to Steve Rogers as he started walking back to the head of the table. "Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this _is_ the middle ground."

"So, there are contingencies," said Rhodey, his gaze focused on the Accords as it was passed around the table before he looked at Ross.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords… Talk it over," said Ross in reply, glancing at Tony.

"And… if we come to a decision you don't like?" asked Natasha, her gaze studying the older man with a keen eye.

"Then you retire," said Ross, turning his attention to the assassin, who carefully rolled her lips inward to conceal a smirk as she looked down. He looked at the others as he got ready to leave, the man who had been with him moving toward the doorway of the room. His gaze finally settled on Ana and he paused, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Mrs. Banner, might I have a moment of your time?"

Ana had been expecting this and she studied the older man, wondering what exactly he was going to try this time. Betty had warned her to not be alone with her father.

"That shouldn't be necessary Secretary," said Tony, sitting up a little straighter.

"I insist that it is," he said, glancing at Tony before looking at Ana. "It's regarding a personal matter."

"I don't –"

"It's fine Tony," said Ana, pushing off of the chair and looking down at him. "It's fine… I'll be right back."

Tony's frown grew at this but he remained seated in his chair, watching Ana walk off to join Ross on his way out.

Ross held out a hand, indicating she could go through the door first before following after her and moving up to walk by her side. His bodyguard had already gone ahead.

"Thank you for that," said Ross, "You seem to be more understanding of what's going on than even Stark."

"Cut with the bullshit, Mr. Ross," said Ana as she came to a stop at the top of a flight of steps and gripped the handrail tightly. She looked at the older man, her deep brown eyes focusing on his. "Get to the point so we can get this over with."

He came to a step beside her and let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he buttoned his coat. "As you wish…" He looked at her as he turned to face her directly. "I may not seem the type of man to care about very much but don't let that façade fool you. I do love my daughter. Very much." He paused, allowing that statement to sink in before he continued. "I know for the past year you have been maintaining a close friendship with my daughter. You can understand my unease at the thought." He pulled on the cuffs of his sleeves, adjusting the cuff links. "Over the past year, you have been seen not only associating with my daughter but frequently leaving two young children in her care. Children that bear an unmistakable resemblance to a certain doctor." He looked at her as he placed his hands in his pockets. "There's no record of these children anywhere. There had been no record of you prior to 2012 and even then, those records are minimal at best. You have a way of covering up your tracks. A way that, as of this moment, stops now. You will sign those Accords and you will come out in the open in every capacity. You will be under constant supervision and will only act on my say so... After all you, as a mother, understand what it means to want to keep your children safe."

Ana let out a bitter smile as she studied Ross, catching in on the meaning between the words he said. He didn't give a damn about the safety of his daughter. Her hand tightened over the railing and she took in a calm breath to ease her tension. Cin was very much aware of what was going on and it was an effort to keep her rage under control. "I believe we can come to an agreement," she said, "but those agreements will be within the Accords and not separate from them." When she felt calm enough, she released her hold on the railing. "Do not threaten, Mr. Ross… It is very unbecoming of a gentleman your age…" Her smile eased just a little as she found some humor in the situation. "My family is my priority and your daughter loves my children very much. That fact alone makes her a part of my family. I would advise to think carefully about the demands you make of me in the future... Was there anything else?"

Ross studied her, seeing that she was calm and composed, before he chuckled. "No Mrs. Banner, nothing at the moment," he said before he began to walk down the stairs. After a few steps, he paused and turned to look at her. "By the way, I would advise to be on your guard. I am not the only one who's aware of your children and who their father is... Have a good day."

Ana's heart stopped for just a moment, Ross' words hanging in the air. She took in a breath to calm her nerves, her immediate thoughts of the LIFE Foundation coming to the forefront of her mind. They had been too silent the last three years. It wouldn't surprise her if they had managed to worm their way into the world of politics. After all, it was a little too convenient timing that after Ross' heart attack he had retired from the Army and managed to become Secretary of State. A little financial backing from a hidden group like the LIFE Foundation wouldn't be so surprising if only it led to something like this.

She swallowed against the tightness that had formed in her throat.

She did not want to rip the twins from the home they had. Not again after last year. They needed stability. She would go along with whatever Ross wanted within reason and she would bide her time to see how things went. Keeping the focus off of her children was imperative but she wasn't going to sit back and allow them to shackle her like some dog.

Not ever again.

"Ana, you ok?"

She felt Tony's hand on her shoulder, felt his concern through their link, and she placed a tight smile on her face as she looked up at him. He'd come looking for her when she didn't come back and more than likely had felt her tension. " _Non_ ," she said, "but it will get better at some point, right? Until then, let's focus on these Accords…"

"The others are discussing it," he said as he looked down the stairs before focusing his attention back on her. "What did Ross say to you?"

Ana hesitated for a moment, not liking the thought of worrying him, but deciding she would need his support if she wanted to get through this. "He wanted me to sign the Accords… Only with strict instructions that I would report directly to him." She scoffed and shook her head. "He also mentioned he was aware of my children, my association with his daughter, and his not so subtle threat that he wasn't the only one who knew of my children and who their father was." She frowned at this, placing a hand against her temple as she felt a headache coming on.

"That bastard," said Tony, his anger having grown with each word Ana spoke. "He won't touch them and he's not touching you. He has no legal authority, not yet at least… If we're going to make this work, we're making it work our way." He glanced at her, his hazel eyes filled with slight worry. "You're going to sign the Accords? You don't have to. I won't let you do anything that will compromise the safety of you and the twins."

Ana smiled at this, grateful for Tony and all that he was. "Don't worry… I'm here for you. I can take my children and disappear from the face of this earth but I won't. My children need stability, a normal life, something that I didn't have. It's a little harder with Bruce gone but…" She hesitated, the ache still fresh. She cleared her throat, shook her head and gave a bitter smile. "We'll make this work. If Ross, or those associated with him, decides to step out of line, they'll find it'll be their first and last mistake."

Tony returned the smile, knowing full well he would protect his family in any way possible. He reached out to pull Ana in a one arm hug, squeezing her tightly, before glancing back at the doorway to the other room.

"Well, let's get this mess over with."


	84. There is always a Fine Line

_But I find it hard_

_To let my heart decide_

_On what it thinks will make things right_

_For us_

_Cause I don't wanna give up_

_If this is the wall between the good and the bad_

_And maybe I'm fighting for all I have…_

**Choose** – Tatiana Manaois

-o-

Chapter 84: There is always a Fine Line

There is always a fine line between trying to decide on doing what you think is right and doing what others think is right. Differing opinions and beliefs can quickly throw what once was a solid foundation onto a slippery slope of uncertain ground.

There was a good reason why Tony was fighting off a monumental headache at the moment.

The team of Avengers that he had helped to form was arguing amongst themselves regarding what the right course of action was for the Sokovia Accords. They were in the breakroom of the headquarters, sitting around a dining table, while Tony was slouched in one of the spare arm chairs that littered the large room. He had a hand over his face, trying his best to ignore the grating voices of Sam Wilson and Rhodey as they argued back and forth. He had pulled apart his tie and it hung loosely around his neck, his suit jacket flung over the back of his chair and long forgotten.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor," said Rhodey as he pointed a finger at Wilson. "Which is one more than you have."

Why in the world Rhodey thought that was a valid point to bring up in an argument about the Accords, Tony couldn't understand. Maybe it was a military thing since Wilson was a veteran as well…

He felt a gentle hand run through his hair and a soft nudge against his shoulder. He pulled his hand down from his face and glanced up to find Ana standing there beside him. She was holding a mug of hot tea out to him with a package of painkillers tucked in between her fingers. He gave a soft grateful smile to her as he reached out to take the mug and the painkillers. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing briefly, before she settled herself on the arm of his chair, her gaze focused on the two men arguing.

"So, let's say we agree to this thing," said Wilson, a light frown on his face as he rubbed his forehead. "How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

Ana stifled a snort of agreement at that one, having grown up in such an environment. She understood very well the wariness that Wilson was feeling. They could all sign the Accords and who's to say that the very governments of the world wouldn't turn on them. The only difference in her experience was the LIFE Foundation had never given her even the illusion of choice. They treated her like an animal from day one to be poked and prodded at their leisure for the sake of their agendas and beliefs. She had been the means to an end. Something that wasn't given the courtesy of being treated as a human and that did not matter in any way other than her service to them.

Tony had glanced up at her, having heard her, before reaching out to pat her forearm.

"A hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this," said Rhodey, "A hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it.'"

Wilson focused a glare his way as he folded his arms across his chest. "How long are you going to play both sides?"

"I have an equation," an unexpected voice joined in, one who had been quiet up until now.

"Oh, this will clear it up," said Wilson, turning away from Rhodey with a roll of his eyes.

Vision, who had been the one to speak, glanced at Wilson but did not seem affected by the man's tone. He looked at the others and continued on. "In the eight years since Mr. Stark had announced himself as Iron Man," he said, gesturing toward Tony, "the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And, during the same period, the number of potentially world ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" asked Steve, his blue eyes focusing on Vision with a keen eye.

"I'm saying there may be a causality," said Vision, meeting the other man's gaze. "Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict," He paused at this, turning his head so he could look at the others, his gaze meaningful as he gestured with each word spoken. "And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom," said Rhodey, throwing a hand out toward Vision as he looked Wilson.

"Tony," Natasha Romanoff's voice broke through the silence that had followed, her gaze bouncing between Ana and him. "You're being uncharacteristically non hyperverbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind," said Steve as he eased his temple against his closed fist, the look on his face tense.

"Boy, you know me so well," said Tony, having already opened the package of painkillers and tossing them back before taking a large gulp of the tea. He winced as he swallowed and passed a glance at Ana. "That was roiling hot by the way, thank you. I always enjoy destroying my taste buds."

"You're supposed to slip it slowly not slam it down like a mug of beer," said Ana in turn, watching Tony as he got to his feet and made his way over to the kitchen.

"Considering I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache, feeling a different source of pain does distract from it," he said, throwing a teasing smile her way as he set the mug on the counter. It faded though as he reached up to rub the back of his head, the tension and stress quite evident. "That's all it is Cap. Just pain… It's discomfort." He had moved over to the sink, intending to get a glass of water to cool his tongue, and frowned when something caught his eye. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal?" The look on his face was one of annoyance as he turned around to face the others. "Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He went back to the counter, forgoing the water, and grabbed the mug. He took a gentle sip of the tea this time, the taste of it registering as chamomile, as he pulled out his smartphone and placed it on the counter in front of him. He tapped on the screen, bringing up a holographic image of the very same picture that Ana had been given earlier that day.

Charles Spencer smiled out at the team of Avengers, forever bright and hopeful of the future that would never come to him. Ana had taken the seat Tony had abandoned and folded her arms, watching her brother with slight concern. He was coming into his own, seeing the results of the choices that had been made by not only him but the team he helped form over the years. He was seeing this and coming to a conclusion. She wasn't in full agreement of this conclusion but she could see his side of things, just as she understood those who were hesitating.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way," said Tony, setting down the mug as he looked at the others. "He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, three point six GPA… Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall." He moved around the counter and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest as his gaze moved over the others. "But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, maybe be of service." He gestured to the picture beside him, his guilt coming through a little clearer with each word he spoke. "Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun." He scoffed and shook his head. "He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where?" He reached out to snag the mug from the counter, tea spilling over from the force of his grab. "Sokovia."

The others remained silent but the varied looks of shock and disbelief were quite clear. They already had come to the conclusion of the point Tony was getting to.

Tony looked at Ana, the guilt and sadness clear in his hazel eyes before he focused his gaze on Steve. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose…" He carefully took a sip of the tea, feeling his headache pounding worse than before. "I mean we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." This time he drained the rest of the tea in one gulp and wishing it contained even a little bit of alcohol to help calm the edge he was feeling. He set the mug carefully down on the counter and folded his arms once more.

"There's no decision-making process here," he said, "We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

The discussion went on amongst the group regarding if the decision to sign the Accords was a good one or not. The frame of who was to blame when actions were taken should the choice be made was heavy in their minds and within their words. The two most vocal of the group were Tony and Steve, not surprisingly. What was surprising was Natasha's agreement with Tony to sign the Accords. Ana hadn't been expecting that.

Ana remained a silent observing party, her choice having been made the moment she agreed to support Tony. She had been largely disregarded by the others save for two and one of them had decided to take the initiative.

"Mrs. Banner, why are you here with us?" asked Wanda, her tone hesitant and careful, not surprising after what happened at their first and last meeting.

"That is a very good question," said Steve, turning his attention away from Tony and focusing it on the quiet woman in the corner. "You made it clear that you wanted no part of this team. Why the change of heart?"

Ana ignored Wanda, who blushed at the blatant dismissal, and turned her gaze directly on Steve. "It is my choice, _Capitaine,_ to be here to support my brother. My choice, and the reasons for my choice, are mine alone and of no concern to you."

"Maybe we can consider a little relaxed openness?" began Natasha, her gaze studying Ana with faint wariness.

Ana's deep brown eyes zeroed in on the redhead and the anger was quite clear in her gaze though her face remained devoid of any emotion. The words that were threatening to break free at what she thought of the assassin and her suggestion would have been less than civil. She refrained from making a smart-ass remark and instead took in a breath, carefully reigning in the rage that was bubbling – be it Cin's or her own. She carefully stood up from the chair and ran her fingers over her blouse to clear the creases. Once this was done, she looked at Natasha with a tight smile. "I can decide for myself when openness will be a distinct possibility with certain members of this group. Choice is the topic of conversation here, the reasons for those choices can be shared or kept to one's self, but it is a choice. The ability to choose is something that not everyone is allowed because some people feel that deciding what is best for others is for the greater good." She paused at this, her gaze focused solely on the redhead, who kept an impassive mask on her face. "What that greater good is well… That's something for you all to decide upon."

"If you sign this Ana, if we all sign this, we surrender our right to choose," said Steve, studying the woman with slight concern.

"Yet, that choice in and of itself is still your own, _Capitaine,_ " said Ana, giving him a sad smile before she looked at Tony. "I'm going to follow up with Betty and _Tante_ Jenn. They'll want to know what's going on…"

Tony gave a nod, understanding Ana's need to get away from everyone and everything at that moment.

"They'll only shackle you Ana." She heard Steve say as she started to walk toward the exit of the room. "They will shackle you and Cin because of what you are and what you are capable of. Think about that, think about your children… You might never see them again."

Ana paused in midstep, feeling the trembling anger beginning to surface once again. She closed her eyes, willing her other self to remain calm, before she slowly turned and looked at Steve Rogers. "I am very much aware of what may happen to me but you seem to fail to realize I am not alone in this. There are legalities to all of this which means they are going to have to find a very good reason shackle me or any of us for that matter." She smiled at him then, a calm and cold smile that did not reach her eyes. "They'll have to search _very_ hard to find anything at all… Do not worry about me, I'll be all right. Have a good afternoon, _Capitaine._ "

She glanced at the others, giving a soft smile to Vision, before turning on her heel and walking out of the room, pulling out her phone as she exited the room.

As Steve watched her walk away, he couldn't help but think that Ana had changed quite a bit in the past year. Where before there used to be a woman who had been filled with life and love for those on this team there was now a very cold and distant figure who, beyond her family, clearly wanted no part of any of this mess. He glanced at Tony, seeing the frown of concern on the billionaire's face. Apparently, he was not the only one to notice the coolness that Ana presented toward them all. Of course, he couldn't blame Ana, not one bit. After all, she had lost her husband and the father of her children all in one fell swoop because of them…

The sound of something vibrating caught his attention and he pulled out his phone, looking at the text message he received. A grim look appeared on his face as he read the message and quickly got to his feet. "I have to go."

He left the room, all thoughts of the Accords forgotten, while the message he had read lingered.

_She's gone. In her sleep._

-o-

Standing outside of the building, Ana had a soft smile on her face while she listened to Luc's gabble about fire trucks and robots, clearly very boy things to be into. After Beccie had had her turn to speak with their mother, Luc had jumped on with all the excitement only a three-year-old could have. He kept on talking on the other end of the phone, a few understandable words coming through the gibberish. After a moment, she heard Betty tell Luc to tell his mama goodbye.

"Bye Mama! Lo' you!"

"Love you too my sunshine, I'll see you later."

She heard the sound of a wet smooch on the end, a toddler kiss if there ever was one, and she laughed when she heard Betty's sound of disgust. "Oh Luc, how many times have I said not to leave drool on the screen?"

"Sowwy Aunt Betty!" Ana heard in the background and she laughed more, her heart filling with love for her family.

"He is too cute for his own good," said Betty when she came back on the line. Ana could hear the affection and smile in her voice.

"That he is," said Ana, smiling as she turned to look at the sight of a team of people working around one of the outer buildings of the compound. "I can't wait to get home."

"So, you're signing the Accords with Tony?"

Ana's lips thinned as her hold over the phone tightened. "Yes… It's the best thing to do right now. You know Tony tends to make choices and decisions that sometimes lead to… explosive results. At least if I'm there, he may take a moment to pause before deciding. "

"He's dead set on choosing this though," said Betty, her tone filled with worry. "And from what you say, my father will be taking full advantage of that."

"He can try," said Ana in turn. "He won't get very far."

"The General has an innate talent of sinking his teeth into something and never letting go. I… I think you need to come home and stay home. We'll disappear as planned, look for someplace where they can never find us."

"I don't want that for Luc and Beccie," said Ana, "I want them to have a stable home and life. Constantly on the move, looking over your shoulder… That isn't a life for them Betty."

"Ugh… I know… but I'm worried for you Ana. If you get trapped then the twins will be without their mother. I can't stand the thought of both of their parents being out of the picture. I just…" She sighed heavily and Ana could picture Betty absently tucking a lock of her straight, dark hair behind her ear- her nervous habit. "I wish Bruce was here… He would know what to do."

Ana felt the pang at the mention of Bruce, her heart aching and the tears welled up unbidden. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and glanced down at the ground. "W-well… We'll just have to do the best we can without him… The twins will be safer as long as I keep the focus on me."

"I'm sorry Ana…"

" _Non,_ Betty… Not your fault…" said Ana, willing her sadness and heartache away. "I'm just glad you're here… I'll see you at home."

They exchanged goodbyes and Ana ended the call, staring down at her phone with sadness. Her home screen was a picture of Bruce, the twins and her taken shortly before the whole ordeal with Ultron. The last family photo…

She gently touched the screen, her fingers lingering over Bruce's face, before she took in a breath and slipped the phone in her pocket. She turned around just in time to see Steve Rogers making his way out of the building, his fist clenched tightly around his phone. When he caught sight of her, he slowed in his fast pace before coming to a stop beside her.

"Hello Steve," said Ana, trying to bring up the mask she had worn in the meeting but finding she didn't have the energy for it. In fact, she realized she didn't have the energy for a lot of things at the moment.

"Hi Ana," he said in turn, his blue eyes studying her with a deep sadness, though what it stemmed from Ana could not say. He took a breath, looking as if he were going to say something, but thought better of it and simply smiled sadly at her. "Despite everything going on, it's good to see you again…"

Ana wasn't surprised at his words or his way of being. He had always been polite in spite of any personal feelings he may have had. She returned his smile with a genuine one of her own, having the distinct feeling that this was going to be the last time she would be seeing him on polite terms. After the Accords were signed, who knew what would happen.

"It's good to see you too Steve… Wherever you're going, be safe," said Ana, her deep brown eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah… You too," he said and with that he turned and continued on his way, leaving Ana standing there while she watched him go.


	85. It Didn't Take Long for Trouble

_The level of stress is getting to me_

_It's reaching all the way to my neck_

_You know I've been doing for two weeks_

_I've been holding my breath_

_But I can't catch it..._

**Choose** – Tatiana Manaois

-o-

Chapter 85: It Didn't Take Long for Trouble

It didn't take long for trouble to start brewing while the Accords were being ratified in Vienna. Natasha had been the one to volunteer to be the face of the Avengers, seeing as she had the experience of being in the spotlight before. It helped that Natasha was a beautiful woman and she had the experience of falling into a role when needed. Politics were just another game after all.

Before Natasha had left for Vienna, Tony, Jenn, Ana and a team of Stark lawyers had looked over the Accords with a fine-toothed comb. There were many clauses and loopholes and other kinds of bureaucratic red tape that involved one hundred and seventeen countries' worth of agendas and ideas on how the Avengers should be managed and supervised. It had taken one day for the Avengers team as it was known to be split apart because of it. It had only taken Tony, Jenn and Ana and their lawyers another day to make marginal suggestions and changes that would be considered during the ratifications in Vienna. Especially when it came to Ross' involvement in regard to directly overseeing the deployment of Cin.

His piqued interest had been found tucked in amongst all the many pages, something that would have been overlooked by the United Nations panel. Giving one man - or country - sole control over the supervision and deployment of an enhanced individual was not in the best interest of all involved so they had managed to highlight that portion as well as giving their own legal spiel. These were people's lives after all, no matter how enhanced they were, and the lawyers were being paid handsomely to ensure their employers rights both domestic and international would not be infringed upon.

Once everything was said and done, the ones who had signed the Accords were: Tony, Ana, Rhodey, Vision, and Natasha. Jenn was never a formal member of the Avengers so she did not sign, wishing to leave her status as unknown support as is. As far as the world was concerned, Jennifer DuPont was a reclusive heiress who did not socialize with anyone outside of Stark Industries. Despite Ross' demand for Erai to sign, the Lyttan was – like Jenn – never a formal member of the Avengers and Ana did not want him to be caught up in this game of Earthly politics. He was finally free of his duty to their people and free to live his life as he saw fit. Ana wanted it to remain that way for Cin's twin. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were to be determined and would remain at the Avengers compound. Clint Barton aka Hawkeye was considered officially retired and so did not sign. The others who did not sign the Accords had sided the Captain America in his hesitation.

It was a shame that the team could not come into agreement but, as Ana had pointed out to all of them, it was their choice.

With the Sokovia Accords signed, Natasha had taken the documents and left to take a Quinjet to Vienna but not before doing a small side trip to offer support for a friend in need. Ana had taken the moment of quiet afterward to excuse herself – with promises to Tony that she would there as soon as he needed her – and head back home to be with her children. Tony understood her need to be with her children at this time and had ruffled her curls as she walked away, chuckling at her growl.

Home was currently located in Willowdale, Virginia – Betty's hometown and the location of Culver University, where everything had started for Bruce.

With Avengers Tower being on the market to be sold for some time, Betty suggested moving down to Virginia to get away from everything. Tony did not like the thought of the family being far but he understood Ana's desire to get away from everything that reminded her of Bruce. Jenn had remained behind with Tony to help with the Avengers' new headquarters and to help with Vision's acclimation to his new life. Erai had been the only one free to do as he pleased so he decided to go with Ana and twins to live in this sleepy little college town down south. Tony had been the one to get everything straightened out for the family's move and had purchased a house in Betty's neighborhood with it being fully furnished and stocked with everything the family needed. Jenn had worked her magic and had the records of who owned the house and who lived there kept off the public records so as not to draw attention from the locals or the wider world. After all, having it known that Tony Stark purchased a house in a town in Virginia would have brought unnecessary attention.

With this done, Ana, Erai and the twins had moved to Willowdale, Virginia under the surname of the Walters. A cover story was not hard to come up with for the local gossip; after all it wasn't hard to play the part of a grieving widow with two young children to raise. It wasn't hard to see a brother who had come to help his sister with the move and the care of the children by staying with them.

The small family kept to themselves so – though they were mysterious and new – there wasn't much dirt to gain from them. Of course, seeing that a local professor had taken to the family like a fish to water had brought up the a few more questions but considering it was Elizabeth Ross, who was well liked in the neighborhood and around town, the gossip faded a little more. Betty was a trusted member of their community so if she was able to become fast friends with the Walters it meant that they couldn't be all that bad...

Six months in Willowdale and Ana had become a common enough sight around the neighborhood that it wasn't a surprise when she would disappear some days. It was known that she worked for Stark Industries in some capacity so while she was gone, her brother would care for the twins. Betty was often seen either coming around or having them come to her house. Despite the story behind the family, all the old ladies in the neighborhood could agree that the twins – when seen – were absolutely adorable.

It was at this time that the neighborhood hens began clucking away as they saw a familiar black Audi stop in front of the Walters' home and Ana stepped out, luggage in hand. She had leaned down to thank the driver for the lift home before closing the door and turning to face the front of the house. She stared at the two-story white building with its wrap around porch and bay windows before she proceeded to head down the walkway. As she mounted the steps to the front door, fishing her keys out from her purse, she could hear the sound of scuffling and screaming from within. Leaving the keys in her purse, she reached out to open the already unlocked front door only to be near bowled over by a pair of hyperactive little humans with dark brown curls.

" _Mama!"_

Dropping her luggage on the spot, Ana swooped down to pick up her babies, smothering them with kisses amidst their giggling.

"Welcome home Ana," she heard Betty say from the entrance way and Ana stopped smothering her twins with love to smile at her friend. She was standing on the threshold of the kitchen and beyond it she could see Erai busy cooking something for lunch. She caught him waving a hand her way and her delighted laugh escaped her. It wasn't quite the home she had imagined for her family but it was the next best thing she could have without Bruce…

Later that evening – after spending the rest of the day chasing Luc and Beccie around the house, playing games, some potty training and getting dinner down – Ana had placed the twins down for the evening, kissing them goodnight, and lingered beside them until they fell asleep. Once they were asleep, Ana left their bedroom and made her way downstairs where she saw Erai and Betty were in the living room sitting close beside one another on the couch while they quietly talked. She smiled at the two of them, rather glad that her brother was finally getting some semblance of happiness with all he had lived through.

Sensing that she was near, Erai had glanced up and offered her a smile. "They are finally asleep?"

Ana feigned a heavy and exhausted sigh as she made her way into the living room and plopped herself down on the armchair. "Finally," she said with a dramatic sweep of her hand up to her forehead.

Betty laughed at the antics of her friend while Erai gently shook his head with a fond smile. It was a rare moment when Ana would show some sign of her humor but when it happened, it was always around the twins and it was always welcomed.

"So," began Betty, once the humor had died down. "You've signed the Accords… Now what?"

Ana straightened in her seat and gently propped her elbow against the chair, leaning her temple against her closed fist. Her sense of humor was all gone. "I'll be on call on Tony's say so. We had made clear stipulations that if I am to be called in with the Avengers that it only will be on Tony's watch. If he's not there then I do not get called in."

"My father's going to find some way to bypass that," said Betty, her concern clear. "Are you sure those stipulations are airtight?"

Ana smiled and gave a nod. "Trust Tony, he made sure not to overlook a single detail when it came to Cin's participation in this new team."

"He is Erin's calm now," said Erai, a sad look appearing in his deep blue eyes. He had not talked to his twin sister in a long time and he worried for her. "Has she responded to you?"

Ana glanced at him and slight creases appeared between her dark brows, a gentle frown tugging the corners of her lips down. "At the seminar that morning, Tony was confronted by a grieving mother…"

She went on to tell Betty and Era the details of what had happened at MIT with Charlie's Spencer's mother and Cin's subsequent reaction to the woman reaching into her purse. Afterwards, Cin had remained trembling beneath the surface, on the alert, but did not respond to any thoughts or feelings Ana had directed her way.

"She's letting you maintain dominance," said Betty, understanding clear in her voice as she studied Ana.

"I know," said Ana, "I know why… I just wish she would respond in any other way but anger."

"Erin needs more time," said Erai, "When she is ready, she'll respond."

Ana gave a nod in response to that but did not say anything. What could one say when your other self didn't want to deal with the world? She wished she had that easy way out – to simply hide from the world – but one of them had to be strong for the family and Cin had thrust that responsibility on Ana. She had taken that mantle with no complaint because she loved her family but there was a small part of her, a tiny part, that wished her other self would come back as she used to. She wanted that constant and reassuring presence that was always there within her mind. Nowadays, all she felt was a blank wall…

The three lapsed into silence, the tension in the air a little high after everything was said and done. Now that the Accords were signed, it was just a matter of waiting to see when the shit would hit the fan.

-o-

The next day, with the twins still fast asleep, Ana had risen early and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She was intending to make a pot of coffee but was surprised to see Betty there with a pot already made. She was dressed and ready for the day, having taken time off from her job to spend time with the family. Her straight dark hair however was pulled up into a haphazard bun while a slight frown played on her face. She was looking at a tablet that was set up on the counter and she was cupping her mug of coffee tightly.

"Betty, are you all right?" asked Ana with concern, coming to a stop beside her friend.

Betty wordlessly pointed to the tablet and Ana looked, seeing the tablet was showing news footage of an attack. The headline _Bombing in Vienna_ : _Attack at signing of Sokovia Accords_ was emblazoned in white font on a red background while the footage showed smoke rising from a destroyed section of a building. The attack had happened in Vienna earlier that morning during the ratification of the Accords. Vienna was six hours ahead of the eastern sea board of the US so it had happened while they had been fast asleep.

Ana let out a fierce curse as she turned and went to find her purse, looking for her smartphone. She was sure Tony would have been trying to contact her. It hadn't even been a day… She couldn't even get one day…

Locating her purse on the floor under the dining room table, she snatched it up and rummaged around inside, locating her phone. Pulling it out, she saw one missed call and a message from Tony. Unlocking the screen, a holographic image appeared of Tony looking tense and a little disheveled.

"Already got trouble," he had said with a shake of his head. "I hate to pull you away from the kids but I'd feel better if you were here... There's been an attack at Vienna and they already have a suspect." Tony's face disappeared and was replaced by a profile of a man that Ana vaguely recognized. He had long brown hair that hung about a fairly handsome face that was a little rough around the edges. The name of the man appeared beneath the image: _James Buchanan Barnes (Winter Soldier.)_

"Cap's gone missing," Tony's voice emerged.

Ana cursed again as her hand clenched around the phone, crimson veins appearing beneath her skin. She paused and willed herself to calm, taking a breath while Tony went on to say that he would have a jet ready to fly her in as soon as she checked in.

"Tony calling you in?" asked Betty from the doorway of the kitchen.

Ana gave a nod as she looked at Betty, her tension and weariness clear.

"I'll check in at the University," said Betty, her own frown mirroring Ana's as she tightly clasped her hands around her mug. "Take a longer leave… Luc and Beccie are going to be sad you left again."

Ana winced at those words as she put her phone away. "I know Betty… I'm sorry."

"You're protecting them," said Betty, moving over to stand in front of Ana. She set her mug on the table and reached out to pull Ana into a hug. "You're doing your best… Don't feel sorry for doing what you feel you have to." She pulled away and smiled at Ana. "I'll get breakfast together for you while you get ready…"

"Thank you, Betty," said Ana, eternally grateful toward the other woman. She honestly had no idea how she would have managed without Betty's support this past year. She could honestly understand why it was that Bruce had been in love with her.

Without a word, Ana pulled Betty into another tighter hug, squeezing all of her affection into that gesture before she turned and went upstairs to get ready.

-o-

When Ana had arrived at Richmond International Airport to catch the private jet Tony had sent for her - after going through customs and checking her one carryon - she was surprised to find that the jet had two passengers already on board.

Tony and another gentleman she had never met.

Tony glanced up from the tablet he had been reading when Ana made her way up the aisle with her carryon in hand. The moment he saw her the lines of tension at the corner of his eyes had eased and he stood up from his seat. He met her in the middle, reaching out to take the bag from her with one hand.

"Thank you," he murmured as he stepped aside to allow her to pass.

"I thought I was meeting you at headquarters?" she asked, reaching out a hand to brush his disheveled dark hair back into place before moving up the aisle.

He smiled at the gesture as he followed her before coming to a stop at his seat and placing her bag in the overhead storage. Ana hesitantly sat down in the plush leather chair across from his, watching him as he closed the storage bin before sitting down in his seat. "Heading to Berlin, new base of operations," he said, "Got word of Barnes being sighted in Bucharest."

"Steve will not be far behind then," said Ana, her frown growing as she studied her brother's face. He looked at her in turn, the words left unsaid. She was not necessarily needed in an Avengers capacity but more of the mental support and stability category. It was a position that Pepper had often filled in the past but for obvious reasons he felt he had to rely on his next choice: His sister.

She reached out to pat his knee in a reassuring manner before she caught sight of the other gentleman sitting in a seat across the way. He looked to be in his fifties, well-groomed hair a mix of dirty blond and grey and wearing a simple suit. He was watching the interaction between the two with interest before he caught Ana's questioning gaze.

Tony, seeing Ana's attention had diverted to his guest, gestured to the man with a wave. "Oh, that's Everett. He's a stowaway."

Ana had to fight down the smile that was threatening to come out at Tony's usual fall back sense of humor. That was a good sign. That meant he was getting comfortable with the situation at hand.

"Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander," said the man as he quickly got to his feet to move across the aisle, his hand held out. "Nice to officially meet you, Mrs. Banner."

He seemed sincere enough; there was nothing about him that set off any alarm bells as it did with Secretary Ross. Ana leaned forward to take his hand in her own and give it a firm shake. " _Enchanté, Monsieur_ Ross," said Ana, a curious look appearing on her face. "Any relation to…?"

"No!" he said, a little too quickly, following it with an uncomfortable chuckle as he let go of her hand and sat back in his seat. "Heavens no… No relation at all."

The curiosity cleared and an amused smile appeared on Ana's face. She had liked that quick response. It seemed she wasn't the only one with a dislike for the Secretary. "Well then, what is the current situation?" She glanced at Tony and tilted her head. "Any word from Steve?"

"No," said Tony, pulling up his tablet. "I doubt he will stay out of the way."

"They have orders to shoot the Winter Soldier on sight," said Everett, listening in as he studied Ana. She was wearing a regular, white blouse with a square neckline, no scarf in sight. With her copper brown curls cut short, the crimson veins on the sides of her neck were on display for all to see. He had seen the files and footage of her and knew what she could change into but it still did not stop the surprise of seeing the physical part of her inhumanity in person. That in turn made it strange to imagine that this woman with the soft spoken, accented voice could even erupt into a raging monster.

Ana frowned at the mention of that order, wondering how the in the hell it had already come to this. More than likely the Captain would wind up getting shot at should he choose to interfere and he would. She sighed as she ran a hand over her face, torn between her love for her brother and her want to go home. Tony caught the sound of her sigh and reached out a foot to tap it against hers. She glanced up at him in question and he smiled at her, mouthing a _thank you_.

Ana smiled in response, her affection for Tony ever present, as she nodded. Her brother needed her; she only hoped she would not regret becoming mixed up in Avengers business again.


	86. Drumming Fingertips

_Well_

_Good guys, bad guys, all the same_

_Good guys win, bad guys get blamed_

_I don't care what side you're on_

_You might be right_

_You might be wrong…_

**Two Sides to Every Story** – John Walsh

-o-

Chapter 86: Drumming Fingertips

Drumming fingertips against a tabletop was the only sound that could be heard in the glass-walled office. It was a sterile room in the sense that there were no decorations to make the place even remotely welcome. There was nothing more a rectangular table with leather rolling chairs that surrounded it. The glass walls looked out to a kind of control room, where groups of uniformed people could be seen hard at work. No sound could be heard from outside, which meant the office was sound proof.

Ana had been escorted to this office by Everett, who had advised that Tony wanted her to follow up on the Accords while they worked on bringing the Winter Soldier in. He had said he would be by with a cup of coffee, a kind smile was on his face, as he watched her sit down at the table and pull a tablet from her bag. She smiled at the man and thanked him as she pulled up the files of the Accords, watching as he nodded and left her to her work.

They had arrived at the base few hours earlier, red-eyed and more than a little tired with no room to adjust to the time change. There had been updates in regard to the situation and it seemed that the Winter Soldier had been located along with Captain America and Falcon aka Sam Wilson. German Special Forces had been on the mission when everything went to hell because of the Captain's interference. A chase had progressed through the streets and highways of Bucharest. Damage had been done to civilian cars as well as structural damage to an underpass. Another unknown enhanced individual had joined in the chase during all of this before it had finally ended with the capture of all parties involved.

It was a mess, pure and simple.

Ana had a lot of legalese to wade through in order to get the info that Tony was going to need. She was namely looking through the Accords for the info how to deal with any damage done by former members in a non-sanctioned country like Romania and the subsequent consequences therein. It was something that Jenn would have gone through in a heartbeat but she was busy with Vision in keeping the Scarlet Witch and her twin under house arrest back at headquarters. Ana was going to be on her own with this one.

When Everett arrived with a steaming cup of coffee – cream and sugar added- she had smiled gratefully at the man and asked if there were any other updates. He advised that prisoners had been loaded and were on their way to the base at that moment. He also advised they had identified the unknown party to be T'Challa, son of the deceased king of Wakanda. Silently cursing to herself, she nodded at this bit of info as she sent off the information she had found so far to Tony before thanking Everett and resuming her work.

At the sound of the office door closing, Ana had sighed heavily and had begun to drum her fingertips against the tabletop, waiting for whatever orders or requests that Tony would need. This was the situation currently at hand as she continued her work through the Accords, highlighting sections and sending them off to Tony for his review. Based on the Accords, if enhanced individuals, who did not register to be a part of the Avengers or similar enforcement groups within their respective country, were found operating and/or causing collateral damage within the borders of another country, they would be arrested, placed under a psychiatric evaluation and then promptly extradited. Since T'Challa was the current king of an African nation and one of the countries to ratify the Accords, that matter was something Ana need not concern herself with.

Captain America and Falcon were another story…

The sound of the office door opening caught her attention and she glanced up from her tablet to see Everett escorting Steve Rogers into the office. The shorter man held the door open for the Captain as he kept his gaze on him. "If you'd take a seat Captain, Mr. Stark will be right with you."

Steve had entered the room but stopped short when he caught sight of Ana sitting at the table. Everett had left, the door shutting closed behind him, leaving the two alone. Silence hung in the room as Steve studied the woman before glancing around at the glass walls. He started to walk again and moved to the other side of the table, taking a seat across from her. Ana didn't say anything as she focused her attention back on her tablet, reaching out to take sip of her lukewarm coffee.

The silence continued until Steve cleared his throat and leaned forward to fold his hands over the tabletop. "I was told there'd be no lawyers... Don't tell me you have the credentials?"

Ana couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled out of her and she looked at Steve with a sad smile. "If this had been on US soil, you would have had a right to a lawyer. However, we are on foreign soil so the Accords are very strict in that regards…" She looked at her tablet before shaking her head and shutting off the screen. "Sadly, I can't help you with this one."

"Worth a shot," said Steve, a crooked smile gracing his lips as he sat back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair, a heavy sigh slipping past. "This is a real mess, isn't it?"

"I'd say so," said Ana as she set the tablet aside. "I don't know what they're going to do and I don't know what can be done to help."

He opened his mouth, about to ask another question, but stopped short at the look of warning in Ana's eyes and the slight shake of her head. She had known what he was going to ask and she already had the answer: Jenn was not going to be involved with any of this. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he placed a hand on the tabletop and started to drum his fingers against it.

The silence fell once more and they sat there for some time before he looked at her, studying her under the fluorescent lighting. He stopped drumming his fingers and tilted his head in curiosity. "Why are you here Ana?"

Ana, who had been gently running her finger over the rim of her cup, paused and looked at the Captain. "Administrative capacity," she said after a moment, her finger once more running over the rim.

His gaze fell to her finger as a slight frown twitched between his brows. "I thought Pepper usually did that for him…"

Her finger once again paused along the rim and she looked at Steve, her deep brown eyes steely. "Usually," she said, leaving it at that.

Steve's frowned deepened at the lack of explanation but did not pursue the matter, seeing the crimson veins in her neck had deepened in color. He knew that was the first sign of her patience wearing thin and that meant her temper wouldn't be far behind. She had always been protective of Tony so it didn't surprise him that Cin would be listening in on anything pertaining to her brother.

The door to the office swung open at that moment and, speaking of the devil, Tony waltzed in carrying a small black box in one hand. "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" He made his way over to Ana's side of the table and stopped by her chair, his gaze focused on the Captain. "I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely." He opened the presentation box and set it on the table in front of Steve. Lying on a cushion within the box were two nondescript fountain pens. "FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most."

"Some would say it brought our country closer to war," said Steve, glancing down at the pens before he looked up at Tony.

"See?" said Tony, gesturing toward the pens. "If not for these, you wouldn't be here." He paused and glanced down at Ana, who didn't say a word to either man as she ran her fingers along the side of her coffee cup.

"I'm trying to…What do you call it?" Tony turned slightly as if in thought before he snapped his fingers and pointed back to the pens. "That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?"

"Is Pepper here?" asked Steve, ignoring the pens. "I didn't see her."

Tony froze for a moment before he relaxed and began to pace the floor behind Ana's chair. "We're kinda… Well, not kinda…"

"Pregnant?" Steve supplied, trying to figure out what Tony was stalling over.

The sound of ceramic shattering down on the tabletop caught both men off guard and they looked at Ana to see that deep frown on her face. The cup had shattered beneath her grip, her crimson veined fingers glowing with subdued heat. The sound of the spilled coffee hissing into steam broke through the silence and Ana gently took in a breath as she removed her fingers from the mess of broken ceramic shards. "Sorry," she said, her voice sounding weary. "Cin is a little sensitive about…" She broke off and shook her head. "Broken links among the family are still felt…"

Tony reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze in an effort to calm her. "We're taking a break," he said as he looked at Steve. "It's nobody's fault…"

"I'm so sorry Tony," said Steve, a slight frown of genuine concern showing on his face. "I didn't know."

Tony pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and handed it to Ana, who took it with a muttered thanks to mop up the mess of spilled coffee. "A few years ago," he began, "I almost lost her… My family got caught in the middle of my troubles… So, I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA… and then Ultron." He tilted his head to the side, a look of guilt appearing. "My fault. And then and then and then…" He waved his hand in a circular motion, round and round, a constant repeating cycle. "I never stopped because the truth is I don't want to stop." He paused and glanced down at Ana, noting the blank look on her face as she carefully wrapped the ceramic shards in the handkerchief. "Despite the ladies I love the most wishing I would… Despite my godchildren needing me since their father is gone…" He looked at the Captain and shook his head. "I don't want to lose Pepper. I don't want to lose my family. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference." He moved to a chair beside Ana and sat down. "In Pepper's defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass but he and Mom always made it work."

Steve glanced at Ana, a thoughtful look replacing the frown that had been there. "And Ana? Why choose to be here and not with your children?"

Ana glanced up from the bundled-up handkerchief and smiled sadly at the Captain. "He's my brother," she said, "And for what I am… My children will be safer so long as I am here to support him."

"Do you believe that?" he asked, leaning slightly forward in his seat.

"I have to," she said and left it at that.

"I don't mean to make things difficult," said Steve after a thoughtful silence as he glanced at Tony, noting the concerned look that Tony was giving Ana at the moment.

Tony looked at Steve, the concerned look fading from his face. "I know, because you're a very polite person."

"If I see a situation pointed south, I can't ignore it," said Steve, "Sometimes, I wish I could."

"No, you don't," said Tony in reply, his hazel eyes flicking between Steve's blue ones.

A thin smile appeared on Steve's lips as he glanced down at his hands. "No, I don't. Sometimes…"

"Sometimes, I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth," said Tony, a slight hint of his past dislike making itself known. He winced when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his toes and he glanced at Ana, who was frowning at him in disapproval. She had slammed the heel of her shoe down on his foot at that comment. "But… I don't wanna see you gone," he amended, glancing back at the Captain. "We need you Cap. So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign. We can make the last twenty-four hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psyche-center… instead of a Wakandan prison."

Steve's frown returned as he picked up one of the fountain pens and turned it over in his fingers. He got to his feet and started to pace for a few moments before turning to look at Tony. "I'm not saying it's impossible but there would have to be safe guards in place."

"Once we put out the PR fire those documents can be amended further," said Tony as he glanced at Ana, who unlocked the screen to her tablet to make a note of Tony's request. "I'd file a motion to have you, Wilson, Wanda, and Pietro reinstated…"

"The Maximoff twins?" asked Steve, pulling his gaze from the tablet Ana was working on. "What about them?"

"They're fine," said Tony, waving off his question. "Confined to the compound currently. Vision and Jenn are keeping them company."

"Oh god," said Steve as he let out a huff of a sigh and shook his head. "Every time. Every time I think you see things the right way…"

"What?" asked Tony, looking somewhat confused. "It's a hundred acres with a lap pool." He held out a hand, gesturing in an expansive manner. "It's got a screening room. There's worse ways to protect people."

"Protection?" Steve moved to the table to place his fists on the tabletop. "Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony." He paused and focused his glare at Ana. "What about you? You agree with all of this? Keeping a couple of kids locked up?"

Ana froze for a moment before a steely look appeared in her deep brown eyes. She looked up at Steve and her voice, when she spoke, was thick with emotion. "Those "kids" are one of the reasons my husband disappeared and my children do not have their father… So, forgive me if my empathies are few and far between, Steve."

Steve glared at the woman but could not argue against her honesty. She had always been honest about her feelings toward the Maximoff twins but he had hoped she could see beyond that hatred.

"We're doing what has to be done Steve," said Tony as he reached out to place a calming hand on Ana's forearm. "To stave off something worse."

Steve could only give a curt nod in response, looking disappointed. "You keep telling yourself that," he said as he set the pen back down in the box. "Hate to break up the set…" His gaze flicked from between Ana and Tony, studying them, before he turned and left the office.

"I'm… going to get more coffee," said Ana, her tone revealing her exhaustion and the emotional roller coaster she was currently on. Tony glanced at her and a soft smile touched his face.

"Go take a real break kiddo," he said as he got up from his chair as Ana got up from hers. "Is Cin…?"

"No response," said Ana with a tired sigh as she scooped up her tablet, her bag and the shard filled handkerchief. "She's been angry a lot more these days but other than that…" She shook her head and glanced at him. "Call me the moment you need me."

Tony frowned in concern as he watched Ana leave the office before he turned to look out at the control room, where several monitors could be seen. One screen showed the Winter Soldier locked down in a pod in a cell. He studied the man before he shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair…

-o-

Ana had managed to locate Everett and he had been kind to tell her where the cafeteria was in this place. An hour later, she had gotten a new cup of coffee and sitting down at one of the many long tables. There were other people in the large room but no one by where she was so she was able to enjoy a moment of quiet.

In actuality, she was thinking over the conversation that had happened with the Captain and a part of her was wondering if perhaps he was not correct in his judgement in regard to the Maximoff twins. She bore no love for them but she understood better than anyone what it was to be locked up. She sipped her coffee and closed her eyes, wondering if she should set aside her personal feelings once and for all…

It had been over year…

Maybe…

A twinge of pain erupted from the base of her neck and Ana gasped in shock, automatically reaching a hand up to the source. The sunburned patch of skin where the crimson veins were focused was glowing a faint red and Ana could sense the anger from her other self and a single thought, the first real thought in so long, emerged from the depths of her mind.

_Bruce and Hulk are gone because of them. Our mate is gone. Do_ not _forgive._

As quickly as it had come, Cin's presence had retreated back into the depths of their shared mind and when Ana attempted to reach out to her other self she hit the same blank wall as before. Cin was not in agreement with Ana about changing their opinion of the twins and it was this that made Ana pause. She was always aware but she never responded and so she was alone with her grief, had been for over a year…

Ana tried to blink back the tears as she slowly dropped her hand from her neck and cupped her mug. "Why won't you talk to me?" she asked out loud, the hurt and rejection could be heard…

The lights in the cafeteria flickered several times before the room descended in darkness. The emergency flood lights along the walls came on, giving some illumination amidst the grumbles of confusion from the other people. Ana glanced up from her coffee, her concern for her other self momentarily forgotten, as she looked around. Something was going on and she bet that it had something to do with Steve's old friend currently on lock down…

Sighing, she could hear the ping from her tablet in her bag and she pulled it out to see a message from Tony. Tapping on the screen, the message read: _Got trouble. Stay where you are. Will call if we need a_ Code Red.

Her heart clenched at those familiar words – messages that had often been sent to Bruce _and_ her.

It didn't feel right seeing the message with Code Red by itself…

Closing her eyes, she thrust the tablet back in her bag as the trembling began, the heartache making itself known. It didn't feel right not having Bruce here. She took in a calming breath, willing herself to relax. Now was not the time for a breakdown… Her brother needed her.

Her breath hitched once, the trembling in her muscles still going strong.

Ana felt a slight tinge of worry as she tried to maintain a sense of calm. Cin was burning beneath the surface. Whether it was from the anger and grief she had been keeping to herself or all that had been happening the past several days, Ana could not say. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Work with me, Cin… Please. We need to stay calm…"

Her breath hitched once more and the tears began to fall.

"Please…"


	87. Thirty-Six Hours

_Last year I fell flat on my face_

_And last month I knew somethin' should change_

_Last week I started over again_

_Ask me and I'll tell you how I've been_

_Mhm, don't get me started..._

**Nervous** – The Neighbourhood

-o-

Chapter 87: Thirty-Six Hours

"Thirty-six hours," came Ross' voice as the door to the glass-walled office opened and the Secretary was making his way out. His gaze was focused over his shoulder at the occupants therein. "Barnes. Rogers. Wilson." He said each name after a meaningful pause before turning to continue on his way.

Ana had to sidestep out of the way so as not to get slammed by the taller man and he paused when he noticed her. His blue eyes focused on her but he didn't say a word as he continued past her. She studied him as he walked away and couldn't help the frown. That man rubbed her the wrong way…

"Thank you, sir!" Tony's voice had responded to Ross, spurring her to move on. "My left arm is numb… Is that normal?"

Ana entered the office and stopped short at the sight of Tony sitting in a chair off to the side. He was rubbing his forehead, a bruised right eye and a gash above his left brow a testament of the fights that had happened just a couple hours ago when Barnes had escaped custody during the outage. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson had disappeared from the base, more than likely on a pursuit after the Winter Soldier after all the chaos. There was an investigation ongoing about the cause of the outage. While all of this had been going on, Ana had been waiting to hear from her brother in case he needed her and trying to ease the tension she had been feeling because of Cin's rising rage. It wasn't until after things had apparently calmed down that she got a message from Tony to head to the glass office in the control room. Things were a mess...

Again.

Natasha had moved over to Tony's side just as Ana had entered and they both glanced up to look at her.

" _Mon dieu_ Tony, are you all right?" She rushed to him and kneeled down, reaching out to brush her fingertips along his bruised cheekbone.

He winced but managed a smile as he looked at her. "Yeah, yeah… Always fine."

Ana didn't believe him but didn't pursue the matter as she glanced up at Natasha. "Are you all right, Natasha?" She asked, her gaze flicking over the redhead though the concern had lessened. The assassin looked fine if a little stressed - though there was some slight bruising around her neck. Natasha had managed a slight smile at the unexpected question from Ana before giving a slight nod in response.

Ana sighed heavily as she got to her feet and ran a hand over her face. "Why didn't you call me in? I could've helped –"

"Not worth the risk," said Tony, his gaze studying her before looking away. "Not in such an enclosed space."

Ana frowned at that but didn't argue with him, seeing as he had a point. Instead, she moved to a chair closest to his and sat down, her gaze flicking between Natasha and Tony. "I overheard the orders," she said, changing the subject. "36 hours is a little tight." She glanced at Natasha, who had shaken her head.

"We're seriously understaffed," said Natasha in agreement.

"Maybe a little," said Tony as he sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now…" He lifted his gaze to look at Ana, his frown of concern growing. "But, it looks like we're gonna have to chance it without him, huh?"

Ana felt her heart drop at the thought but she swallowed back her unease as she gave a nod. It had been over a year since she had fully changed and, without her mate, there was a very good chance Cin might have more than a little pent up rage to let out. Still, Tony would be there and Cin would never do anything to risk her brother being hurt. They had plans put in place to subdue and calm should Cin's rage prove too much. Ana had to trust that their fallback plans would work should she be unable to regain control.

"You really think he'd be on our side?" asked Natasha as she glanced at Ana. There was a strange look in her eyes, some unreadable emotion that lingered in her gaze, before it disappeared when her eyes met with Ana's.

There was a twinge at the base of her neck and a slight tremble in her muscles. Ana grit her teeth beneath her closed lips, trying to ignore the sudden anger that was bubbling. Something was off…

"No," said Tony, his gaze landing on Ana. "He'd be with Ana and the kids living in a nice little house somewhere far away from all this trouble."

Ana gave a weak smile at that notion as she attempted to calm her trembling muscles. "It was something we dreamed of," she said and took in a breath. "But that is not the reality we are in right now…" She shook her head and sat a little straighter in her chair, doing her best to appear calmer than she felt. "What do we have planned?"

"I have an idea," said Natasha, her gaze lingering on Ana for a moment before she looked out at one of the monitors in the control room.

"Me too," said Tony, turning his attention to the redhead. "Where's yours?"

"Downstairs," she said as she looked at him. "Where's yours?"

Tony gave a slight smile as he sat up in his chair. "Not as close as yours but not out of reach." He looked at Ana and gestured for her to follow as he stood up. "C'mon Ana, up for another trip?"

Ana blinked up at her brother but gave a nod as she got to her feet, wondering just what Tony was planning now…

-o-

_Queens, New York City, New York_

Six hours later, after taking a Quinjet from Berlin, Ana found herself sitting beside Tony in his orange Audi winding their way through the streets of Queens. She was wiping the sleep from her eyes after catching up on the flight over and glancing out at the passing buildings and people as Tony navigated the traffic. She was wondering why they were back in the States when Tony had told her to check her tablet and look up the links he had sent to her.

She did as she was asked and pulled her tablet from her bag, unlocking the screen. While Tony drove, Ana caught up with what his plan was as she watched some videos posted on YouTube. The footage was amateurish and somewhat grainy, the angles in some of them were a little off, but there was no disputing what she was seeing. A man in what looked like homemade, red and blue one-piece costume, his face fully covered by a matching red mask and a pair of thick black goggles, had stopped an oncoming vehicle from slamming into a city bus at forty miles an hour before some strange webbing emerged from his wrists and he propelled himself at a frightening fast pace out of range of the camera. The other videos was of the same man doing various good deeds around Queens: stopping robberies, oncoming accidents, things of that sort. He was obviously an unknown enhanced individual who was using his abilities to be a hero.

Ana smiled at the thought of it. This person was young and idealistic but it was obvious that he had a good heart and he was doing his part in helping to fight off crimes. She shut off her tablet and stuck it back in her bag, glancing at Tony as he finally came to stop in front of one of many brick apartment buildings surrounding them. "Your plan?"

He looked at her after he parked the car right in front of the building and cut the engine. "He's got potential," he said, "with some work." He gave her his usual smirk before opening the car door and stepping out. Grabbing her bag, Ana rolled her eyes and got out of the car as well.

As usual wherever Tony went he was sure to draw attention. His orange Audi stood out like a beacon against the sea of more subdued-colored Hondas, Kias, and the occasional Chevy. The people who walked by stared and some stopped to pull out their phone to take a picture.

Tony made his way to the front of the building, smiling at the middle-aged woman who was on her way out the door. He caught it with bright thanks as the woman stared at him over her shoulder and nearly bumping into Ana in the process. The woman nearly tripped over her feet and Ana caught her with a smile. "Be careful," she said and the woman could only let out a slight squeak as she looked at Ana and her gaze landed to her neck. She quickly removed herself from Ana's grasp and hurried down the sidewalk, this time not looking back.

"You really have a way with people, don't you?" Tony said with a laugh as Ana made her way over to him.

"Oh hush," she said, reaching out to slap a hand against his arm. She couldn't control other people's reaction to the sight of her and by this time in her life she had more important things to focus on than people's comfort around her. In all honesty, she didn't think to wear a scarf or turtleneck to hide her crimson veins in all the hustle and bustle. Tony's chuckle followed in after her as she entered the building first, the door swinging closed behind them.

Tony led the way to the elevator and pushed the up button while Ana let out a small yawn, still a little jet lagged. He smirked at her again, reaching out to poke a finger into her open mouth. She let out a screech and slapped his hand away. "Seriously, Tony?"

He chuckled again as the doors to the elevator slid open and they stepped inside, Ana glaring at him as he pushed a button for one of the floors. She continued glaring at him the entire ride up until he reached out to swing an arm around her shoulder, his chuckle going strong. Ana couldn't hold onto the annoyance, the brotherly affection helping to ease her, so she simply sighed and shook her head. The elevator doors slid open as it stopped at a floor and Tony stepped out, Ana following behind him. They passed a couple of other people who were leaving their apartments before Tony stopped at a door on their left, glancing at the number on the door. "This is it."

"Oh," said Ana, understanding dawning as she looked at the door and then up at him. "Of course, you'd already find the identity of your mystery hero."

He smirked as he reached up to knock on the door. "Well, we wouldn't be coming all the way out here for the hell of it."

Ana just laughed a little as the door swung inward and a very pretty Caucasian woman stuck her head out, looking between the two of them curiously. She looked to be the same age as Jenn with long dark brown hair that had reddish highlights that fell past her shoulders and brown eyes behind a pair of large-rimmed glasses. "Yes? Can I help you?" She glanced curiously at Ana before her gaze landed on Tony and her eyes grew comically wider. "Uh... Y-you're Tony Stark..."

Tony smiled that charming smile of his as he glanced at the woman and gave a nod. "Hey there, you must be May Parker. I'm looking for your nephew, Peter. Is he home?" He leaned a little to the side, stealing a glance behind her. "Mind if we come in? I have some great news I think you might wanna hear."

The woman named May gave a startled squeak before she gave a quick nod, "Y-y-yes, I'm M-May Parker. Um, please, please, come in!" She took a frantic step back and pushed her door open wider. She had put too much force behind it and the door swung open and slammed against the wall. She winced and her cheeks reddened as she gestured toward them. "Um... Don't mind the mess," she said as she turned around and rushed inside, grabbing some laundry from the floor and rushing off deeper into the home. "Please, have a seat!"

Tony was smiling in that cheeky way of his as he entered the home, glancing back at Ana. " _She_ 's an aunt?"

"Do not," said Ana as she followed him inside and closed the door behind her. "The poor lady is obviously star struck. Do not."

He held up his hands in a peaceful manner but continued on smiling as they walked into the home and entered the small living room. The place was a bit cluttered but obviously clean. All around the living room, kitchen and dining areas were pictures of the woman, some family members, and the young man in question.

"I'll be right out!" called May, her voice coming from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "Make yourselves at home!"

Ana sat down in a wooden arm chair that was to the right of a dark grey sofa, which Tony sat down on. A few moments later, May Parker had emerged from the hallway now wearing a loose white blouse, form fitting jeans and a bit of makeup which enhanced her natural beauty. The glasses were gone. Ana had to suppress the urge to laugh as May quickly made her way to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry? I have some walnut date loaf and green tea." She looked at Tony as she started bustling around the kitchen, her blush was deep before her gaze landed on Ana and she finally took a moment to pause. She seemed to compose herself, taking in a breath, as she grabbed a blue tea pot, a few tea cups, and a loaf before placing it all on a tray. She moved quickly into the living room and set the tray down on the coffee table in front of Tony before taking a seat next to him. She took in another breath and smiled at Tony. "So... Mr. Stark, what can I do for you? You said you were looking for Peter?" She reached out to grab the tea pot and started serving tea for him before moving to serve tea to Ana. She looked at her and gave a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name Miss...?"

"Ana," she said in reply as she took the cup with a bright smile. " _Merci_. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker."

"Oh, you speak French," said May, a look of delight appearing on her face. "I've always wanted to go to Paris and please just call me May." She was obviously very nervous judging from her jumping from topic to topic. She hadn't even noticed the strangeness about Ana and that was saying quite a bit.

"May then," said Ana with a nod before she took a sip of her tea. It wasn't bad.

"Anyway," May continued as she looked at Tony, moving to cut a piece of the loaf and placing it on a small plate. "Peter's not here now but he should be home any moment. What was it that you needed to speak with him about? What great news?"

Tony smiled as he took the plate. "Did Peter ever tell you about the September Foundation?"

-o-

Twenty minutes later, the sound of the front door opening and closing could be heard followed by the sound of stomping footsteps as a young man made his way past the living room and into the kitchen. "Hey May," he called.

"Mmm!" May responded from the living room as she swallowed down her tea. "Hey, how was school today?"

"Ok," he said as he set what looked like a DVD player down on the kitchen counter followed by his backpack. "There's this crazy car parked outside..." He trailed off when he turned around and caught sight of Tony Stark sitting beside his aunt. May was smiling brightly as she looked at her nephew and her brows rose up in her excitement.

"Mr. Parker," said Tony as he turned in his seat to look at the teenager. Peter Parker was a teenager, looking to be about fifteen or sixteen years of age. He was of average height with light brown hair and a lean physique. Currently, he was staring at Tony with his mouth hanging open.

"Um," was all Peter managed as he slowly pulled his earbuds down from his ears. "What – what are you doing...? Hey! I'm – I'm – I'm Peter. " He crossed his arms across his chest, clearly nervous and unsure of what to do with himself.

"Tony," said Tony in response, clearly enjoying the reaction that the young man was giving. He felt a smack against his leg and he glanced over at Ana, seeing that she was frowning at him. She mouthed the words: _Be nice._

"What are... What are you – what are you – what are you going here?" Peter managed to stutter out as he shifted from one foot to the other, his nervousness growing more apparent by the moment. Ana's lips rolled inward in an attempt to stifle the smile that was coming out; he was unintentionally adorable.

"It's about time we met," said Tony as he took a sip of the tea. "You've been getting my emails, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Peter, nodding quickly as his gaze flicked from his aunt, to Tony and then finally to Ana.

"Right?" asked Tony, raising a dark brow in question.

"Regarding the..." Peter trailed off as he nodded at Tony.

"The September Foundation."

"Right," said Peter, pointing a hand at the older man as he continued to nod.

"Yeah," said Tony, who was finding the entire situation hilarious. "Remember when you applied?"

"Y – yeah," said Peter, reaching up to scratch the back of his head, looking down at his feet. To Ana, it was clear that he had no recollection of doing such a thing but he was trying to save face in front of his aunt.

"I approved," said Tony, setting the cup down on the table. "So, now we're in business."

"You didn't tell me anything," said May, her excitement clear in her voice as she nearly jumped up from her seat. "You keeping secrets from me now?"

Ana had to cover her smile by sipping her tea, unable to refrain from joining Tony in finding the situation a little funny. She was just an observer to this whole thing as far as she knew and she was glad her brother had included her in this. Ana could tell that May Parker loved her nephew and was only jesting with him. May's excitement was mixed with pride as she studied her nephew, waiting for an answer.

"Why I just - I just," Peter managed to stutter out as he looked at his aunt. "I just know how much you love surprises so I thought I would let you know... Wh..." He trailed off and looked at Tony, the shock of everything happening so far clearly getting the best of him. "Anyway, what did I apply for?"

"That's what I'm here to hash out," said Tony as he took a piece of the loaf, his hazel eyes studying the teenager with a keen gaze.

"Hash – hash out... Ok," said Peter, once more looking as if he were about to faint on the spot.

Tony glanced at May and gave one of his charming smiles. "It's so hard for me to believe she's someone's aunt."

"Yeah, well, we come in all shapes and sizes, you know?" said May in reply, smiling at Tony.

Ana had snorted into her cup and started coughing up the tea she had accidentally inhaled. Tony turned his attention to her and reached out to slap a hand on her back. "Hey, hey! You all right there? Gonna make it?"

Ana slapped his hand away as she set the cup down, her coughing fit subsiding. " _Oui_ , Tony, just fine..." she said, glaring at her brother in annoyance.

He smiled at her and gave her a wink before he turned his attention to May, popping a piece of the loaf into his mouth. Ana could see the minute stiffening of his features but it was gone a moment later and he chewed the piece of loaf as if nothing were amiss. The others had missed it but Ana was very aware of Tony's mannerisms and apparently the loaf was not too great to his taste buds.

"This walnut date loaf is exceptional by the way," he said as he continued to chew his piece, setting the small plate with the rest of it aside on the table.

"Let me stop you there," said Peter, his gaze focusing on Tony in curiosity. "Is this grant, like, got money involved or whatever?" He watched Tony as the older man continued to chew on the piece of loaf, not giving an immediate answer. He shook his head slightly. "No?"

Tony gave a nod. "Yeah."

Peter was looking a little faint again. "Yeah?"

"It's well-funded," said Ana, jumping into the conversation with a smile as her gaze met May's.

"Wow..." Now Peter did look like he was about to faint.

"Can I have five minutes with him?" Tony asked as he glanced at May, already getting to his feet and walking around the sofa toward the kitchen.

May gave a nod, not looking as if she was going to put up any sort of argument against an opportunity for her nephew. This was _the_ Tony Stark in her home, wanting to talk with her nephew. This wasn't someone you'd want to say no to. "Sure."

Tony nodded as he passed Ana and reached out to ruffle her short, copper brown curls. "Be right back."

"Don't scare him," said Ana with a frown as she batted his hand away for what felt like the umpteenth time today. She watched Tony follow the teenager down the hall and toward his bedroom. Once the sound of the door closing reached them, Ana sighed and reached out to take her cup back to finish her tea.

"Wow," said May, staring at the hallway before turning her attention to Ana. "I can't believe... A grant!" She let out a delighted laugh as she leaned forward to pick up the plate of the loaf Tony left behind. "Oh, this is a godsend, you wouldn't believe. I was so worried about how I was going to pay for his college tuition and then this happens!" She proceeded to dig into the walnut date loaf, a few crumbs spilling down onto the plate.

Ana, knowing the true reason as to why Tony was here to speak with May's nephew, felt a pang of guilt. It was obvious that she did not know about Peter's foray into crime fighting around the borough of Queens. It was a given that she wasn't going to be made privy to what was going on should Peter accept Tony's offer. She quietly finished her tea before setting the cup on the table. "It's a wonderful opportunity," said Ana, "It'll be hard work for him though, if he chooses to accept."

"Well, of course," said May as she set her small plate aside and reached out to take Ana's cup. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy." She held up the tea pot with a questioning gaze to Ana, who nodded. She poured more tea and placed it back in front of Ana. "So, are you Mr. Stark's assistant?"

"More or less these days," said Ana with a smile. "But I oversee his pharmaceutical division the rest of the time. My mother's company had merged with Stark Industries back in 2012 so we've been working closely together since then. He's actually more like family to me than my boss."

"That explains how you are with each other," said May, a small laugh escaping. "Are you helping with the September Foundation?" She asked, her curiosity growing as she studied Ana with interest.

"It would seem so," said Ana in reply. "I'm sure I'll be working closely with Peter on his first assignment if he accepts Tony's offer. It's not often Tony decides to pay a personal visit to a potential intern but there's something about Peter that caught our attention. He seems to be an exceptional young man."

"Oh, that he is," said May, her smile growing with pride. "He's one of the smartest kids in his school. Highest GPA. He loves working on anything with tech." She hesitated for a moment as her smile slowly faded. "Lately though, he's been more reserved. Stays in his room a lot more, doesn't do much outside of school... Ever since his uncle died a year ago, I... I've tried to do my best by him but... I feel like it's not enough. This though... This may be exactly what he needs."

Ana frowned as she studied the other woman, her concern growing. She glanced around the living room, her gaze flicking about until she found what she was looking for. A photo hanging on the wall beside the large screen TV. It was of May and Peter with a man who looked about Bruce's age, he was a good-looking man and the resemblance between Peter and him was strong. She looked back at May and a soft smile appeared, understanding and empathy growing within her. "It's all you can do," she said as she picked up her cup of tea. "If you don't mind my asking May... What happened to Peter's parents? His uncle?"

May, who had not been expecting such questions, looked at Ana in surprise but didn't look offended or hurt. Instead, she got up from the sofa and walked over to the TV where the picture Ana had spotted was hanging. She wrapped her arms around herself as she studied the picture, a sad smile appearing. "His parents died in a plane crash when he was a boy. Ben and I took him in and raised him like our own... Ben..." She took in a breath, a slight hitch could be heard. "He was... in the wrong place at the wrong time." She glanced down, taking a moment to close her eyes as the tears threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry May," said Ana, setting her cup down as she shook her head. "You don't have to –"

"It's ok," said May, "Believe it or not, I want to talk about it. There's been no one else and Peter..." She shook her head and walked back over to the sofa but didn't sit down. Instead, she leaned her hip against the arm of the sofa. "Ben was on his way home from work. Same route he always took from the subway. The burglar was making his escape from robbing someone's home and their paths crossed..." She blinked several times and looked up to the ceiling, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. "He got shot." She took in a breath and then two before she looked at Ana. "It was fatal... It's been hard since then, trying to raise a teenage boy on my own, but there's nothing I wouldn't do for that boy."

Ana allowed a sad smile to touch her lips, understanding this woman better than she knew. She gave a nod in agreement to May's words as she clasped her hands, her deep brown eyes studying her fingers. "Over a year ago, I lost my husband in Sokovia. We have twins, a boy and a girl aged three." She heard May's soft intake of breath at those words but Ana did not look up. "It's not easy losing your partner and having a child or children to raise. Having others around, family or friends, helps to ease the burden." She looked up at the other woman and her smile was sincere. "From the short time I've been here, Peter seems like a wonderful young man and you've done a wonderful job so far. I'm glad this opportunity will help the both of you out. I'll do my best to make sure Peter is taken care of."

May had moved to sit down on the sofa, closer to Ana, while she had been talking and she had been studying Ana. She had finally noticed the strangeness that belonged to Ana but had said nothing of it. Instead, May smiled at Ana. "Do you have pictures of your twins?"

Ana smiled at this and reached into her bag to pull out her phone. "Their names are Luc and Beccie..."

-o-

When Tony and Peter walked into the living room, it was to spot two women laughing over cups of tea. The walnut date loaf was long gone. Between them, a video was playing on a smartphone of what looked like two toddlers.

"So how did Betty get the smell out of her hair?" May asked as she smiled at Ana.

"A very long soak in tomato juice bath," said Ana, her brown eyes sparkling with rare joy. "She was not happy."

They continued to laugh as Peter made his way over to the sofa. "Hey, Aunt May, whatcha got there?"

"Oh," May turned her smile his way as she pointed to Ana. "Ana was just telling me stories about her three-year-old twins. They're absolutely adorable." Her eyes grew bright as she looked at Ana. "Oh, there was this time when Peter was twelve and Ben caught him-"

"No, no, no, no!" Peter cried out as he lunged forward and covered his aunt's mouth. "Not that story! Anything but that story."

May's eyes were sparkling with laughter as she looked at her nephew.

"Hey Ana, you ready to hit the road?" Tony asked with a genuine smile as he looked at Ana.

His sister gave a bright smile as she nodded and put her phone away. "It was nice getting to know you, May."

"Mmph," said May before she slapped Peter's hand away. "You too, Ana."

Ana laughed a little as she looked at Peter, her deep brown gaze studying him. "You as well Peter. Am I going to be having the joy of working with you soon?"

"Uh, y – yeah," said Peter, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes. He looked at Ana, noticed the strangeness of her neck, and a heartbeat passed before sudden understanding and pure awe touched his features. "Y – yes! Yes, I'll be working with you! Mr. Stark filled me in on th – th – the first assignment and it – it – it's going to be –"

"Not a walk in the park," said Ana, a smile touching her lips as she swung her bag onto her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mr. Stark and I will help you."

"Y – y – yes ma'am," said Peter, his gaze falling to her neck again before he swallowed. It seemed Cin's work with the Avengers still lingered in the public eye even a year later and Peter was a very smart kid having put two and two together.

"So, Ana filled me in," said May as she looked at Peter, her pride in her nephew all too clear. "Your first job as an intern and you're needed in Berlin to help with some research in one of Mr. Stark's offices there."

"I – I uh, yeah!" Peter said with a quick nod. "But I told Mr. Stark I didn't have a passport and I had homework and –"

"I'll call the school don't worry," said May, waving it off. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will help you with your college application. Missing a day or two of classes won't hurt. You can always make it up."

"We'll take care of your passport," said Ana, smiling at the faint look Peter had on his face. "We'll need to head out in a couple of hours so start packing."

"We have a few errands to run but will be back in an hour," said Tony as he made his way to the front door. "Aunt May, nice meeting you. Thank you for being such a nice and generous hostess."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," said May before she smiled at Ana. "Ana, if you're back in town, please bring those babies by. I would love to meet them."

Ana smiled as she nodded, making her way to the front door as she raised a hand in goodbye. After all was said and done, the door to the apartment closed behind them and Tony made his way to the elevator.

"Like I said, you have a way with people," he said as he glanced down at Ana, who was following alongside him.

"Just a matter of finding common ground," said Ana in turn as she looked up at her brother. "But I think you knew that already, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you are insinuating," he said with his usual smirk. "I just happen to know when you get two women alone in a room together, it's a guarantee talking will get done."

He winced when Ana had punched the side of his bicep but still managed a deep chuckle.


	88. A Gentle Tug

_Get me out of this place_

_It's way too dark_

_I just need room to breathe_

_To clear my mind…_

**Choose** – Tatiana Manaois

-o-

Chapter 88: A Gentle Tug

A gentle tug on her hair caught her attention as it was pulled from her shoulder and tucked gently behind her ear. The smile that appeared on her lips was one of affection as she stopped typing at her work station and turned her head a little to the left, her pale blue eyes catching a glimpse of Vision as he stood behind her.

"You are working too hard, Jenn," he said as he took a step toward her side to glance down at her monitor, seeing footage of a recording of a very familiar person.

The man was talking to the camera in soothing words and the video was obviously meant for only one person. Jenn was converting the footage into a format that she could upload remotely to a new piece of tech that Tony had created for her niece. It was one of the fall back plans that they had created but had never had the chance to implement. It was something that Bruce had come up with right before the debacle that happened with Ultron. He had made the recordings in the hopes that in case he and Ana were ever separated, he could still calm her down. They had never had the chance to implement it before now so Jenn was ensuring these recordings were of the best quality before sending them off.

"I am almost done," she said as she turned back to her console and went back to work. She tilted her head slightly when she felt his touch along the metallic line of her jaw and she closed her eyes, her heart pounding from the feeling of electricity dancing along her nerves.

"Perhaps when you are done, we can continue our conversation…?" Vision's question trailed off as he trailed his fingers along Jenn's jawline, up behind her ear and down along her neck. Jenn couldn't suppress the shiver of delight that ran through her. Over the past year, there had been a lot of dancing around between the two of them. Their mutual attraction was something neither had dared to explore due not only to shyness and uncertainty but also because of Avengers missions. This was new to the both of them but lately Vision had been growing bolder in both his attention and his affection, even to the point of becoming distracted.

It had happened that several weeks ago, Jenn had unintentionally made the first move. She had elicited a chaste kiss that had spiraled into a tentative curiosity that then bloomed into an unexpected moment of unfulfilled passion. It had been Pietro who had breezed into the room and interrupted what could have easily been a very awkward moment for all parties involved had he come just a few moments later. Since then, Vision's attention and focus had become more attuned to Jenn and less and less on the twins with each day that passed. It was clear that he wanted to resume whatever it was that was between the two of them and explore it further. Jenn had been doing her utmost to keep busy, finding one excuse after another, so that way Vision could stay focused on his mission in keeping an eye on the Maximoff twins. Tonight, however, he seemed to be quite keen in not being distracted from what he considered his main goal.

"I do not think –" Jenn began only falter when Vision had placed his hands on either side of her face and gently turned her head so that she was looking up at him. She could feel her objections dying on her lips as his thumbs caressed her cheekbones. "The twins –"

"Are fine," he finished for her before he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers…

A sudden series of explosions went off from outside the compound, breaking the quiet of the evening. It was strong enough that it shook the walls around them. Vision pulled away, glancing up at the ceiling where Wanda and Pietro were in the large breakroom that was a floor above. He frowned as he glanced down at Jenn, running his thumbs along her cheeks. "Stay here please… I will check it out." He leaned down to press another soft kiss before taking a step back and flying up toward and through the ceiling.

Jenn took a deep breath in as she turned back to her console, her hands trembling as she went back to work. She had a good idea as to what had set off those explosions and who was the cause of it. She was not supportive of the split that had happened to the Avengers but she could respect the fact that the choices being made were theirs. If Wanda and Pietro decided to use this chance to escape, she could only wish them luck…

It was only five minutes later that a sudden sound of a huge crash from above, followed by something breaking through the ceiling and falling through the floor, caught Jenn by surprise. She turned around to see the huge gaping hole in the ceiling and floor. She rushed to the edge to look down into the hole, seeing nothing but more destruction through the sublevels below, before looking up and her eyes catching Wanda's, who was looking down at her in surprise. Clint Barton had appeared to look over the edge and he caught sight of Jenn looking up at them, a deep frown on her face.

"Hey Jenn," said Clint, waving a hand in hello just as Pietro had appeared beside his sister to also look down the hole.

Jenn could only shake her head. "You only have a few moments before he finds his way back up here. I have to let Tony know what happened. I suggest you make your choice now." With that, she turned away from the hole and moved back to her work station, already pulling up the line to reach Tony directly. She could hear their footsteps as they ran off and her sigh was heavier this time around. While she did have a new body, she was not strong to take on all three of them herself and to be honest she didn't want to. She was tired of this civil war going on between the Avengers and the sooner it ended the better.

-o-

Tony slid away the message he had received from Jenn and stared thoughtfully down at the screen.

"The Maximoff twins are loose," said Tony as he glanced at Ana, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He saw the minute stiffening of her muscles and the slight tightening around her mouth as Ana kept her gaze focused on her clasped hands. They were in a Quinjet, having taken off a few hours after Peter and Happy had left on a private jet from La Guardia airport to Berlin. Peter and Happy would get there before Tony and Ana, seeing as they had a head start, but it would give Peter and Happy time to prepare by the time they arrived. With the Maximoff twins going AWOL, it could only mean that the inevitable was about to take place.

Her hands had twitched once before she took in a breath and looked at him. "Are Jenn and Vision all right?"

"They're fine," he said, a light frown playing across his features. "Clint showed up. Wanda got the better of Vision… Somehow. They would know better than to try anything with Jenn but…"

Ana's lips thinned as she thought about her aunt and Vision. "Perhaps Vision had been… distracted? They noticed and took advantage."

"That may be," said Tony as he nodded. "I didn't even realize he could get distracted."

"He may not be human but that doesn't mean he's dead to everything going on around him," said Ana and they both lapsed into thoughtful silence. Tony focused his attention back to his phone opened up the messaging app, sending off the message to Natasha back at the Berlin base: It was time to suit up.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said, after the silence had stretched too far. He got up from his chair, putting his phone back in his pocket, as he made his way over to sit next to Ana, who was in a seat across the way. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out, what it was Ana didn't catch since Tony had closed his fist around it. "Got something made for you… It was his idea but he never got the chance to get it finished."

Seeing the curious glance Ana was giving him, he opened his hand and held out what looked like a choker. The choker itself was made of a black material, the same kind that Ana had worn for her Avengers outfit. In the center, there looked to be an oval pendant or brooch of some kind about an inch in length and half an inch in width. It had a glass dome set in the center. It was set in some golden metallic alloy and beneath the glass there was some dark shadowy object that Ana couldn't make out. "It's reversible," he said as turned it over in his and revealed the brooch to be set in the choker so that it had a red, opaque glass on the other side.

"What is it?" she asked in confusion as Tony held the choker up and pressed down on the clear glass side. A split second later a holographic image appeared in the air before them, projecting from the brooch itself, and Bruce's smiling face was looking at Ana.

" _Hey Cin… Ana… You're doing great sweetheart. I know it's a little rough right now since I'm not there with you but I'm gonna need you to listen, all right? It'll be ok… Just breathe… We'll get through this."_

The tears welled up in Ana's eyes as Bruce continued to speak in a soothing way, urging her to relax and calm. "What…?"

"He had the idea to start recording himself to use it as a way to calm Cin down in case nothing else worked," said Tony as he pressed on the pendant and the hologram faded from view. "It was something he wanted to test out but couldn't because… Well… Ultron and all." He cleared his throat and sat a little straighter. "There's a good chance you may go Code Red if this thing with Cap goes belly up. I'd rather we be prepared and make sure you're able to regain control before we implement anything drastic." He moved to Ana put the choker around her neck, each metallic clasping at the end of the choker reached out and secured itself with a satisfying series of clicks- the choker was clearly one of Tony's newest gadgets. It adjusted itself to the diameter of her neck so it was comfortable and the brooch settled within the hollow of her throat.

Ana reached up to touch the glass part of the choker, turning her head so that she looked at Tony. "But won't it…?"

"Jenn and I have done all kinds of tests with all kinds of materials," he said with a smile. "This combination can withstand the hottest temperatures you can throw at it so don't worry."

She huffed out a laugh as she glanced down, her finger running over the glass.

"You can change around the vids too, add more if you want," he said as he pointed at it. "I'll get the application installed to your tablet and phone when this is all done. It's programmed to activate when it goes beyond a certain temp threshold so… yeah…" He trailed off as he scratched the back of his neck.

Ana smiled as she leaned over to pull Tony into a tight embrace. "Thank you," she said, a sob catching in her throat.

Tony nodded again as he returned the embrace, glad that he could give Ana something that made her smile…

-o-

"Now, do you understand what you need to do?" Tony asked as he studied Peter – now decked out in the vastly improved Spider-Man suit that Tony had designed for him. It looked like it was something he had designed quite some time ago before he even known about Peter's identity. It meant that Tony had been keeping an eye on this Enhanced individual for a lot longer than anyone knew but it worked out well. The suit was a one size fits all variety and it shrunk down to Peter's lean physique like a glove.

"Y – yes sir, Mr. Stark," said Peter – Spider-Man – as he nodded vigorously, his eyes hidden behind the large white optics of his mask. "So, before everything starts, I'll stick close to Mrs. Banner and wait for your signal." He turned his gaze to focus it on Ana, who was standing beside Tony with her arms folded beneath her breasts.

Ana was decked out in a two-piece black outfit that had a stylized _A_ on the right breast of the shirt. She was wearing a long white lab coat over it to hide her bare skin from view and her feet were covered by a pair of old sneakers. A unique choker Peter didn't recall her wearing when he first met her now encircled her neck. She didn't look like she was ready for a potential battle but Peter didn't question anything about it. After all, Tony had not given her a second glance once he had begun debriefing the teenager on their potential targets and how to handle each one based on their particular skill set. They were standing in the shadows of one of the administration buildings to the airport and it was close to the target of the helicopter that was more than likely Captain America's goal.

"Stay close," said Ana, her deep brown eyes studying the teenager with a wary look though Spider-Man had the feeling it wasn't because of him. "But not too close. I don't want you to get caught up in anything if things flare up."

"Y – yes ma'am," he said, nodding firmly as he stood a little straighter.

"All right," said Tony as he glanced at Ana, his helmet moving into place. "Got word from Rhodey there's been a sighting. He's going to alert the airport personnel and get started on the evacuation. Don't want any civilians around if things start going south."

Ana gave a nervous nod as she tightened her hold around herself, her crimson veins starting to deepen in color as they began to lengthen and grow down past her shoulders. She could already feel the tension and Cin was trembling beneath the surface, aching for a reason to fight.

"It'll be all right Ana," said Tony, "You can do this."

She looked at Tony – Iron Man – feeling the tension trembling within her muscles and plucking at her nerve endings. She was worried, she would be lying if she said she wasn't, and she knew that her brother could sense it through their link. She had been able to block it before now, keeping it away from the familial link between them. Now though, so close to a potential battle, she couldn't keep it to herself and it was bleeding over. It was too late to back down now and she could only nod in response to his words as she struggled to maintain control.

Iron Man nodded in turn. "The others are getting into place. I'm meeting up with Rhodey. As soon as we see them, we'll try and talk them down. If that fails, keep an eye out for my signal." He looked at Spiderman at this and pointed a finger his way, who nodded vigorously in response. "If things start getting a little more hectic, just go Code Red. I'll keep Cin in my sights." He said this to Ana, who gave one firm nod.

"All right," he said as took a step back. "Let's get this done…" He focused his gaze on Ana for a moment longer before he took to the air and flew off.

Ana watched him go before she turned on her heel and started to walk, edging along the landing area where the black helicopter was docked. She could hear Spider-Man jogging along behind her, could sense the excitement that was radiating off of him. She couldn't fault him, he was young and this was all new and exciting, but she was feeling slightly annoyed. She had fought plenty of battles and this was not going to be a typical battle. Some of those people were considered allies and one of them was considered an enemy to her other self. This entire thing could go wrong in so many ways…

"So, does it hurt when you change?" Spider-Man asked as he jogged up to start walking beside her. "I mean when you go Code Red?"

"Yes," said Ana as she kept her gaze on the helicopter and came to a stop behind a large cargo truck that was parked not too far away. He came to a stop behind her as he followed her gaze before looking at her.

"How did it start for you? Did you get bit by some radioactive animal or blasted by some nuclear explosion? Oh! Was it from the alien attack? Is that why you were with the Hulk? Where is the Hulk anyway? Is he on another mission –"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" She said as she looked at the teenager, her folded arms tightening as her annoyance and tension began to rise.

He had the decency to look embarrassed as he ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Mrs. Banner… Just nervous."

Ana smiled a little. "Just relax and follow Tony's direction: Keep your distance and use that webbing of yours." When she saw him nod in response, she gave a sigh and looked back out to helicopter. She could see a figure emerging from an underpass of the parking garage in the distance. "In answer to your first questions: It was an alien who merged with me when I was six, she causes me to change. In answer to your second questions: The Hulk is my husband; we met because of that alien attack." She left it at that, not even acknowledging his third questions about where the Hulk was at this time.

Spider-Man let out a breath as he stared at Ana. "So, you're _legally_ Mrs. Hulk?"

Ana couldn't help the laugh that escaped and she looked at the teenager. "I suppose so."

"Wait," he said as he held out a hand. "So that means your kids you were telling Aunt May about… They – they're the Hulk's kids?!"

The sound of Iron Man and War Machine could be heard flying overhead, cutting off the conversation, and they looked up to see Iron Man had shot out a gadget that slammed into the helicopter. It let loose an electronic pulse that disabled the helicopter just as the two landed in front of the figure, who was Captain America.

"It begins," said Ana as she took in a breath and glanced at Spider-Man. "Remember what we discussed… Now go move a little closer but stay out of sight until you hear his signal. I'll be close by."

Spider-Man gave a firm nod, took in a breath, before he turned and ran off to skirt the edge of the landing area, keeping out of sight. Ana watched him as he located a place that was close to the men by the helicopter. She turned and started to move lightly, her muscles trembling as she gauged the area. The others might be hiding somewhere until they were needed so she had to ensure she was in a spot close to her brother. She felt the rising tension and she sensed the blank wall that was between Cin and her had begun to become thinner. She closed her eyes and sent a thought toward her other self.

_Remember our priority Cin. Do not seriously hurt the others and do not become distracted. We keep them busy, we need to make sure Tony succeeds._

She didn't feel an answer or any sort of acknowledgement from her other self and she swallowed. She hoped against all hope that they would be all right…

-o-

It had begun too fast.

Much too fast.

Words were spoken between Iron Man and Captain America, a heated conversation in which both sides were trying to convince the other about why they were right in their choice and why they had to see their reasoning. For Iron Man, it was the course of keeping things within the laws of the Accords, to win back the trust of people, and for Captain America it was to stop a mad doctor from getting to a group of super soldiers just like Barnes, an action that couldn't wait for a decision from a UN panel.

Neither made had managed to make the other budge and finally Iron Man had had enough.

"All right, I've run out of patience." He cupped his hands over his mouth and let out a deep, barking command. "Underoos!"

That was the signal Spider-Man was waiting for and he moved from his hiding spot without hesitation, shooting out his webbing as he aimed for the Captain. It stuck to the shield and was ripped out of the Captain's grasp while more webbing spat out to bind his hands. Spider-Man did an impressive flip in midair as he caught the shield and landed on a GPU vehicle close to the group. He held onto the shield as he looked at the others.

"Nice job, kid," said Iron Man as he glanced at Spider-Man.

"Thanks," he said as he looked down at his feet. "Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit…" He stopped himself as he looked up and held out a hand. "Well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's – it's perfect, thank you!"

"Yeah, we really don't need to start a conversation," said Iron Man as he glanced at the teenager.

"Ok," said Spider-Man before he focused his attention on Captain America. "Cap – Captain." He raised a hand to give the older man a salute. "Big fan, I'm Spider-Man."

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later. Just…" began Iron Man once more.

"Hey everyone," said Spider-Man, raising a hand in greeting.

"…good job," Iron Man finished lamely.

"You've been busy," said Captain America, his gaze focused on Iron Man.

"And you've been a complete idiot," said Iron Man in response, his head whipping around to glare at the other man. "Dragging in Clint. 'Rescuing' the twins from a place they didn’t even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep –" He caught himself and took in a breath to keep his temper in check. "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

"You did that when you signed."

Iron Man froze and then he frowned, his hazel eyes growing cold and distant. "Alright. We're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us. NOW!" He gestured around him, his meaning clear. "Because it's us! Or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite."

Captain America looked off to the side, a muscle ticking in his jaw, a moment of stubbornness or of indecision, who could tell.

"C'mon," said Iron Man, gesturing to the Captain, his look almost pleading for him to see reason…

Captain America held up his bound hands high into the air but it wasn't for the sake of surrender. A whip of wind could be heard and something tore through the webbing, freeing the Captain's hands. It got stuck into the side of one of the other GPU vehicles, revealing it to be an arrow that belonged to Hawkeye.

"Alright Lang," Captain America called out.

"Hey guys, something's –" began Spider-Man before something erupted from the shield and punched him in the face, knocking him off his feet. It grew in size until it revealed itself to be a man in a black suit with red highlights, a unique metallic helmet with red optics over his eyes that made him look like a bug. He had taken the shield from Spider-Man and ran off toward the Captain.

"Whoa! What-what the hell was that?" asked War Machine, the sight of a man growing from tiny to human size in the span of a few seconds catching him off guard.

"I believe this is yours, Captain America," said the man as he handed the Captain back his shield.

"Oh great," said Iron Man before he turned, his helmet sliding into place. "Alright, there are three in the parking deck. Two of them are the Maximoffs, I'm gonna grab 'em. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?"

"Got two in the terminal," said War Machine in response. "Wilson and Barnes."

"Barnes is mine!" A man in a black suit that resembled a cat of some kind had run off. It was the very same person who had been involved before: T'Challa. It seemed that he had been Black Widow's idea…

"Hey Mr. Stark," Spider-Man spoke into the comm device installed in his mask. "What should I do?"

"What we discussed," came the reply in his ear. "Keep your distance. Web 'em up."

"What about Mrs. Hulk?"

"Mrs…?" came the response followed by a short bark of laughter. "Oh, she's gonna love that one… Don't worry about her, just go!"

"Ok! Copy that!" Spider-Man said before he shot out a string of webbing and took off.

With Spider-Man out of the immediate danger of the others, Iron Man turned and flew off, heading toward the parking garage. He caught sight of two of the three figures running and identified them as Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch, her twin – being as fast as he was – was nowhere to be seen but that didn't mean he wasn't close by. He let loose a few warning shots, the missiles spiraling toward the two before they hit a few of the equipment left by the airport staff. They exploded, causing the two of them to stop in surprise just as Iron Man arrived to hover to a stop in front of them.

"Wanda," Iron Man called out. "I think you disappointed Vision."

"You locked my brother and me in our rooms," she said in turn, glaring up at him.

"Ok. First, that's an exaggeration," he said, hovering just a little higher. "Second, I did it to protect you two… Hey Clint."

"Hey man," said Hawkeye as he looked around, keeping his bow and arrow ready. He knew that wherever Iron Man was, there was another stronger person never too far behind.

"Clearly, retirement doesn't suit you," said Iron Man, turning his head so he focused his sensors on the former SHIELD agent. "You got tired of shooting golf?"

"Well, I played eighteen, I shot eighteen," he said as he rolled his shoulders, starting to feel tense. "Just can't seem to miss." At that moment, he raised his bow and shot off an arrow, which Iron Man quickly deflected. It went off to the side and exploded in the distance.

"First time for everything," said Iron Man as he turned his attention back to Hawkeye.

Hawkeye shrugged as he docked another arrow to his bow. "Made you look."

Without warning, a car fell from above and nearly slammed into Iron Man, knocking him off course. He stuttered a bit in his hovering as the car crashed to the ground. Another one followed the first and then another and another while red glowing light surrounding them as they were pulled from the upper levels of the parking deck, crashing through the barriers. Iron Man focused his attention on the cars and attempted to shoot them out of the way to keep them from crashing into him. He was just about to be buried under a pile of cars when he was suddenly yanked downward and slammed into the concrete ground.

Something was hunched over him, protecting him from the onslaught of vehicles that descended from above. They fell one after another but the cars were held out of the way by the very tall and lithe form of Cin. She was growling as she struggled beneath the weight of the cars, her glowing veins pulsing and her muscles straining beneath the pressure of holding up thousands of pounds of weight from crushing Iron Man. Her red clawed hands dug into the frames of the cars she held while her clawed feet dug into the concrete. Her glowing yellow eyes zeroed in on the Scarlet Witch and she snarled, pure hatred evident in her gaze.

Scarlet Witch took a step back as her eyes grew wide, an instinctual slice of fear piercing through the heart of her.

"Aw shit," said Hawkeye as he turned to the younger woman at his side and started pulling on her arm. "Wanda, run. Now."


	89. Feeling the Pain

_The first round knocked me to the ground_

_And left me in the haze_

_So I fired back with all I have_

_The mean things I could say…_

**Civil War** – Jason Michael Carroll

-o-

Chapter 89: Feeling the Pain

Feeling the pain that rolled up from his left arm joint and socket as he was slammed into the ground blocked out everything else. He could hear the sound of multiple crashes as the cars fell around him and he had braced himself for the impact but nothing came.

"Several contusions detected," said FRIDAY as his sensors picked up the damage his body had taken from the force of the initial blow.

"Yeah, I detected that too," Tony grunted as his gaze focused on the data that scrolled across his screen. He could see Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch making their escape and he uttered out a curse. Moving carefully, he rolled over and his gaze met a pair of familiar glowing yellow eyes. "Hey sis… Great to see ya, thanks for the assist. But couldn't you've been a little gentler?" He could see her straining beneath the weight of the cars as she kept them from falling down on him and her answering growl had brought a smile to his face. "Yeah, sorry. I'll move." He turned back around and kicked on his thrusters, speeding out of the way and getting himself upright.

Cin had waited until he was in the clear before she grunted and heaved the cars off, the several vehicles crashing behind her. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck – her body still adjusting from the change – as she kept her gaze on the retreating forms of Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch. She caught the sight of a blur as it made its way to a slower run beside Scarlet Witch, revealing her twin brother. He had picked her up and, after a moment of conversation with Hawkeye, had sped off with his sister in his arms while Hawkeye took off in a different direction. Cin growled in frustration as she took a step forward, intent on hunting the twins down, but Tony had hovered into her path, making her stop.

"Cin, I need you to focus," he said to her. "I understand your reasons… Trust me, I do. But I need your help right now. We gotta stop Cap and the others from escaping. I can't do this without you."

Cin hesitated, her gaze shifting to the others fighting in the distance before looking at Tony. She took in a breath and let out a frustrated growl, her want to go after the Scarlet Witch clearly a priority over her brother's need of her help. Tony's helmet slid back from his face and his hazel eyes focused on hers. "Please."

She stared at him in turn before she let out a huff of a breath in frustration and, after a heartbeat, slowly gave a single nod.

Tony smiled before his helmet slid back into place. "There's my girl. I need you to keep things low key. Attack where you can but don't heat anything up. Also, I need you to keep an eye on Spider-Man. He's young and new to all this. He'll need the help."

The frown on her face had eased and a fond smile appeared on Cin's lips as she gave another nod, clearly aware of who Spider-Man was.

"Ok, he headed off to the airport terminal," said Tony, pointing off in the direction of the building in question.

Cin gave another nod before she turned and took off, her long legs giving her the advantage of speed. Tony watched her as she leapt over a large pallet before he turned and flew off. Cin continued on her way to the airport terminal and leapt on top of a pallet loader before using a burst of flame from her feet to gain height. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Just as Cin was about to crash through a large glass wall of the terminal, something had already crashed through it and a little red drone with wings appeared. It was dragging a flailing someone in a red suit behind it, the person was being dragged by a line that attached to the drone. The red drone had flown over Cin, dragging the person behind them and making them crash into each other. The line snapped from the force and the red drone flew off. The person let out a holler in surprise as he flailed about, Cin's arms automatically reaching around to hold onto him. Cin had been thrown back from the force and she landed with a crash against the concrete ground, a small impact crater erupting from the landing, while Spider-Man landed harmlessly on top of her.

"Whoa!" Spider-Man said as he managed to get himself upright. He shook his head before he looked at her, the white optics of his mask focusing on her face. " _Mrs. Hulk…_?" He asked, his voice going an octave higher at meeting the raging woman face to face. He gulped back the squeak that was dying to come out as Cin got to her feet, carrying the teenager effortlessly. She had glanced down at him and a smirk appeared on her lips as she leaned down to set him back on his feet.

"Thanks for the catch," he said as he took a step back and looked up at her. "Whoa… You – you're _really_ tall and _really_ scary looking. No offense."

Cin chuckled at that, liking the kid in spite of everything going on. He was small but he looked to be a quick little thing. She reached out a clawed thumb and pointed over her shoulder. " _Come,_ " she said in a snarling, husky voice before she turned on her feet and ran off toward the fighting. She had some priorities of her own and – though she loved her brother – she knew she would never have a better chance than now to catch that little mind witch alone.

"H – hey! Wait for me!" Spider-Man called as he shot out a stream of webbing and took off after Cin, wondering how in the hell a seven-foot-tall raging monster could be so fast.

-o-

Captain America was in the middle of fighting off War Machine and Black Panther, fending them off with a variety of punches and kicks, using his shield to block especially strong attacks. He managed to kick War Machine out of the air just as Black Panther attacked, who he managed to send reeling back with strong blow. War Machine came back, pulling out a type of electrifying mace that sparked and he swung it up and then down on the Captain, who lifted his shield to block the blow. The mace shattered on impact and War Machine let out groan in frustration as the Captain took off on foot.

"Great…"

The Captain kept on running, his breathing not even strained from the heavy fighting, when someone called out to him.

"Hey Cap, heads up!"

Captain America looked to his right and saw Scott Lang aka Ant-Man running toward him as he cocked an arm back and threw something small his way. The Captain automatically reached up and caught it just as Ant-Man caught up with him and came to a stop beside him. He glanced down at the object in his hand and saw that it was a miniature truck. It had a slight weight to it, as if the container of the truck was filled with a liquid.

"Throw it at this," said Ant-Man as he held up a device in his hand, showing it to Captain America, before he turned and threw it off in the distance. "Now!"

Captain America reached back and threw the mini truck at the device. It collided with the little device and within the span of heartbeat it started to enlarge at an alarming rate. It was arcing in the air with an incredible force and it sailed overhead, making a beeline for War Machine.

"Oh, come on!" War Machine cried out as he turned and took to the air in an effort to avoid being crushed by the truck. He barely managed to avoid hitting something large that had come from his right and was heading straight for the truck. It crashed into the truck, its feet digging into the concrete as it struggled against the weight of it, trying to keep it from hitting War Machine and Black Widow, who were in the way. The truck was much bigger than the creature that had caught it and the container slammed into the ground and exploded. The huge balls of flames that erupted rose high up into the air and engulfed the truck and the creature that held it.

"Oh man, I thought it was a water truck," said Ant-Man as he looked at the Captain. "Uh… Sorry."

Captain America didn't even acknowledge the apology as he pushed Ant-Man to start running, recognizing the creature that had caught the truck. They had to run and run fast.

"By the way, what the hell was that thing that crashed into the truck?" Ant-Man asked as he looked at Captain America as they ran, being joined by the rest of the Captain's team which included: Hawkeye, the Maximoff twins, Falcon and Barnes. They were making their way toward a hanger in the north runway where the Quinjet was docked.

"That," began Captain America as he ran faster, passing a glance at the man beside him, "was the Hulk's wife!"

"Oh, ok," said Ant-Man as he nodded before he did a double take and looked at the Captain. "Wait, what?!"

Ant-Man was barely able to register that simple fact when the very same truck that Captain America had thrown had landed with a fiery crash in their path, blocking the way to the hangar. Captain America and his team had to screech to a halt to avoid being hit. A low groan of frustration escaped from Captain America; if there was one thing he didn't want to deal with right now, it was a raging monster.

"Captain Rogers!"

The Captain and his team glanced up from the fiery mess that had been the truck and caught sight of Vision slowly descending from the air. "I know you believe what you're doing is right." He slowly moved toward his right, where the rest of Iron Man's team had arrived, coming to a stop across from the Captain's team. "But for the collective good, you must surrender now."

"What do we do, Cap?" asked Falcon, passing a glance at Captain America.

The Captain's eyes traveled over the other team before settling on Cin and Vision, his thoughts being that they were easily the strongest members and would prove the most difficult to fight. He gritted his teeth as he held his shield tighter. "We fight," he said, "But, be careful of Vision and Cin…"

"This is gonna end well," said Black Widow as the two teams began to stride toward one another, grim determination etched on all faces.

"They're not stopping," said Spider-Man, glancing at Iron Man, the worry evident in his voice.

"Neither are we," said Iron Man as he took to the air.

Cin could feel the anticipation as her gaze zeroed in on the one person she had been desperate to get a hold of. It had been over a year but this moment would be worth the wait…

-o-

Fear was prevalent in Wanda's mind as a large ball of fire was flung her way from the across the gap between the two teams as each member collided with each other in the fight. A fierce growl reached her ears as she threw up her hands, erecting a red barrier around herself as the fireball impacted against it, exploding with heat. She clenched her teeth from the strain of holding up the barrier, the attack proving to be so much stronger than she had anticipated.

The moment the fire had died down her barrier fell away only for her to use her powers to propel herself out of the way of the swiping red claws that had barely missed her torso. She landed several feet away and watched as Cin straightened from the crouch she had fallen into, her lips curled back in a snarl as she bared her claws. They stood that way for a moment, staring at each other, before Wanda took the initiative and gestured out to her left. The red light of her powers surrounded a luggage trolley and she flung it at Cin, who growled as she let loose another fireball that impacted with the trolley and sent it careening in a fiery crash in the opposite direction.

While Cin had been distracted, Wanda took the advantage and projected herself out of the way, trying to put as much distance between her and the raging monster. She had maneuvered her way around the others fighting, using them as her cover, as she disappeared from Cin's sight. She was counting on the hope that Cin would not risk hurting the others just to get to her.

The roar of rage that echoed from behind her made her wince in worry.

-o-

Cin was beyond pissed that the little mind witch had slipped through her grasp and she looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of her through the mess of the others fighting. Her gaze traveled over the others when she caught the retreating form of Captain America, the sight of Spider-Man struggling to hold up a gangway just behind him. Letting out a frustrated growl but having promised her brother she would look out for the kid, Cin made her way over to the teenager, the others fighting around her seemed keen to avoid engaging her.

"O – oh! H – hey Mrs. Hulk!" said Spider-Man as he strained beneath the heavy metal. "H – h – how's it going?"

Cin didn't made a sound as she reached out to grab the gangway, her claws digging into metal framework, before she lifted it off of him. She let out a breath as she bore the weight, turning around to where the others were fighting. Her gaze searched until she caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair belonging to the mind witch. Allowing a smirk to touch her lips, she waited for just the right moment before she braced herself and heaved, throwing the gangway. It arced into the air, nearly clipped War Machine, and had the satisfaction of hearing it crash to the ground. Red light had surrounded the gangway and it didn't hit the mind witch but it had been a close call.

So damn close…

She was going to get that little witch…

"Thanks again, Mrs. Hulk!" said Spider-Man as he straightened up, looking up at the tall raging woman.

Cin glanced down at him and couldn't help the fond smile. " _Cin_ ," she said, pointing to herself, before she leaned down closer to him, her gaze narrowed. " _Are you… hurt?"_

"What? N – no ma'am," he said, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

She studied him a moment longer before she nodded and turned, running back toward the fighting. This time determined to finish this mess. She could see Iron Man hovering in the distance, looking as if he was having trouble before a stream of mist ejected from the cracks of his armor. Seeing that he got a hold of himself, Cin focused her gaze around the others fighting, searching until she spotted her target.

Snarling in triumph, she bared her claws and began to heat up, her veins glowing from the buildup of thermal energy. She started to run, her eyes on the mind witch, her entire focus on finally getting her when all of a sudden there was a kind of eruption that took place directly in her line of sight.

The little Ant-Man that had up, until now, remained a micro size when using his suit had grown to enormous proportions. He had been hitching a ride on War Machine when he had erupted so his gigantic feet had landed directly in front of Cin, blocking her path.

"Holy shit!" said Spider-Man, who had been following behind Cin on her way back into the fray. He raised a hand to his head as he stumbled back, looking up at the behemoth Ant-Man.

"Ok, tiny dude is big now," said War Machine, who was struggling to get out of the giant man's grasp. "He's big now."

"Give me back my Rhodey," said Iron Man just before Falcon had slammed into him feet first, knocking him out of the way.

"I got him!" Spider-Man cried out as he started running forward and took a huge leap. "Sorry Mrs. Hulk, uh Cin! Need your shoulders!" He landed on Cin's shoulders at that moment and took another leap, his webbing shooting out to War Machine, who was flung by the giant man out to the air. The force of the throw was too strong and Spider-Man went sailing with the War Machine. The giant Ant-Man was moving but he was cumbersome and slow, his giant foot reaching out to kick a bus. It went speeding toward Cin who – seeing that she had lost sight of the mind witch once again – let out a fierce roar. She ducked herself down and snatched the edge of the speeding bus. Her feet digging into the concrete, she used the momentum to swing the bus back around, narrowly missing Black Panther as she did so. She threw the bus back the way it had come and went arcing into the air slamming the giant man against his back. He stumbled forward from the blow but did not fall as the bus crashed down to the ground. She saw the man as he leaned down to break off the wing of an airplane and swung it around, almost hitting Iron Man.

"Ok," said Iron Man, "Anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose? I'm open to suggestions." He let out a grunt as the red drone that belonged to Falcon cracked against his helmet.

Cin didn't have any suggestions to give but she was angry, so very angry. She started to heat up, generating energy in her clawed hands as she looked down at the ground. The concrete could prove to be very useful and so she dug her claws into the runway, breaking apart the concrete as she released the thermal energy she had built up. The concrete started to melt into a sort of lava, a mix of bedrock and dirt from the ground underneath mixing with the concrete. Her control over the heated mix was all she needed and it started to rise up and curl around her hands. She slowly spread her hands apart, the heated, melted mix glowing a bright orange as it formed into a ball. It hovered above her hands, getting bigger and bigger, until it was about the three feet in diameter.

"Uh, Tony, what's Cin doing?" War Machine asked as he swooped down toward the giant Ant-Man, letting loose some shells that exploded around the behemoth. Spider-Man was still attached to him and was flying with War Machine. He had taken advantage and shot out some more of the webbing, wrapping them around the giant's arms.

Cin took the ball of heated rock and heaved it with a roar of rage, her anger and frustration at the giant more than obvious. It sailed overhead with surprising speed before it slammed against the giant's helmeted head, the heated mix exploding on impact. This time the damage was more than enough and the giant man was knocked clear off of his feet, a flailing limb catching Spider-Man off guard.

Ant-Man toppled over and slammed down on his back to the ground, crashing beside the broken airplane, before he shrunk down to his normal size. He seemed all right as he took off the face plate of his helmet, the heated mix had already cooled and hardened against the metal. If it hadn't been for that helmet, he could've been killed and the thought had crossed his mind as he managed a grimace, his gaze catching sight of the raging monster taking off toward the hanger.

Cin's gaze had caught sight of the mind witch on the north runway, where she was struggling to hold up a collapsing control tower. Captain America and his war buddy could be seen running toward the hanger in the distance.

This was it.

This was her chance.

Without warning, the ground around the Scarlet Witch began to rumble and crack before, with a thundering sound, she was encased by wall of lava. It broke her concentration of holding the control tower up and it crashed down to the ground but not before Captain America and Barnes had made it through. Cin had leapt high into the air and landed in a crouch a few feet from the mind witch, the wall of lava rising higher around them. The mind witch had surrounded herself in a red barrier, trying to keep the heat at bay, the look of panic clear in her eyes.

Cin's claws raked against the ground as the wall of lava grew higher around them, blocking out any access from above. They stared at one another for a moment before Cin leapt forward, her clawed hands swiping. Scarlet Witch evaded the attack but came very close to hitting the wall of lava that was behind her. Cin swiped out again, this time her claws sparking against the barrier.

It continued in this way, Cin attacking with swipes and stabbing motions with her claws while Scarlet Witch evaded and blocked all the while trying to keep up her barrier. It seemed like hours had passed instead of a few moments but Scarlet Witch had faltered in her last evasive move and Cin had knocked her to the ground with a kick. The raging woman took the opportunity to land on the mind witch, her foot braced over the other woman's neck.

The Scarlet Witch felt the tears of fear and anger streaming down her face as she struggled to maintain her barrier, struggled against the weight on her neck, her mind wracking for a way to get out of this situation alive. When her gaze met with Cin's, she let out a gasping breath. "Mrs. B – Banner… I know you hate me. I know you h – hate what I had done to your family. I hate myself for doing such a thing to you… But please, do not do this. Do not let vengeance consume you."

Cin snarled down at the witch, her anger clear. " _You took… everything from him,"_ she said, " _You and that other woman... caused this!"_

The Scarlet Witch winced at the scream that escaped from the raging woman; her head was pounding from the effort of trying to keep her barrier up. However, something had flickered and in that moment she saw images. Memories of something that caught the Scarlet Witch by surprise and shock.

Memories that were from Cin.

She stared up at the raging woman and the shock could be heard in her voice. "She doesn't know," she said to Cin. "She doesn't know what happened to her husband, what caused him to turn into the Hulk. You've been hiding it from her."

Cin's snarls immediately died down as the words caught the raging woman off guard. She shook her head. " _She couldn't… know. It would break… her… Had to keep her strong… for all of us._ "

The Scarlet Witch frowned as she swallowed, it would be taking a lot out of her and it would mean dropping her barrier but she had to do it. To save her own life she had to.

"That was not your call to make," she said to Cin before she dropped her barrier and with a gesture with her free hand a glowing red light shown in Cin's eyes. The mental wall that had been between Cin and Ana dropped like a house of cards and the memories that Cin had been keeping from Ana were revealed. Memories that Cin's twin had inadvertently shared with her over a year prior:

_Bruce, standing on the edge of a fissure in an underground facility that was shaking, rubble falling down around him._

_Natasha, her face filled with obvious love and guilt as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry," she said before rushing forward to kiss him._

_The shock and anger on Bruce's face was clear just before she had pushed him over the edge of the precipice. A moment later, the roar of the Hulk could be heard…_

The scream of anguish that escaped Cin's lips was an inhuman sound as she stumbled back, raising her clawed hands to her head. The surrounding wall of lava wavered as Cin's control over herself became erratic before the lava fell back and away from the two, already hardening and cooling into black rock. Cin shook her head as she let out another scream, this time Ana's words coming through the husky voice that was Cin's.

" _You knew! You knew!_ "

A stumbling step over the hardened rock and she slammed against a large truck.

" _I'm sorry!"_

The sound of another scream escaped her lips and Cin's gaze focused on the hanger in the distance. Without another glance at the Scarlet Witch, the raging woman ran off in a broken and disjointed way, the battle within herself setting both personalities over the edge. An explosion in the hanger's entrance way cleared out some of the debris from the collapsed control tower and the Quinjet could be seen hovering before the thrusters kicked in and it took off. Cin completely ignored the Quinjet, the sight of a familiar head of red hair flashing in the entrance way of the hanger now her new target.

The Scarlet Witch struggled to sit up just as Vision had descended to land on the ground beside her, helping her into a sitting position.

"Are you all right?" he asked, studying her before his gaze followed the path that Cin had taken. "What did you do to her?"

Scarlet Witch looked out after the retreating form of the woman; her gaze was sad and regretful. "Show her the truth."

Vision looked at her and a sad look swept across his face. "She will never forgive you now. After this, you will never get the chance… I'm sorry."

Scarlet Witch looked up at him and shook her head. "Me too."

"It is as I said. Catastrophe…"

-o-

"I said I'd help you find him, not catch him," said Natasha, the look on her face was nervous. "There's a difference." She was staring at the Black Panther, having helped Captain America and Barnes to escape. She had stalled the man from reaching the Quinjet and now she was wondering if she was going to regret her choice. The anger was evident in the man's tense form and clenched hands though his face was hidden behind his mask.

Natasha was so focused on the angry king in front of her that she did not sense the presence behind her. Without warning she was grabbed from behind and thrown against the far wall of the hanger. She slammed into the concrete wall and gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. She barely had the time to get up before something took her by her collar and slammed her back against the wall. A hot arm was pressed against her throat and she choked as she looked into the familiar glowing yellow eyes of Cin.

The raging woman was trembling and she seemed to be crying as she snarled at Natasha. Her whole body was glowing from the thermal energy building up in her system and as if on cue the choker around her neck turned on.

_"...I know it's a little rough right now since I'm not there with you but I'm gonna need to you listen, all right? It'll be ok... Just breathe..."_

The hologram of Bruce hovered over Natasha's face, his words calming and soothing as the assassin struggled to breathe, struggled to remove the arm that covered her throat. Cin's eyes focused on the hologram, her hesitation clear, before her lower lip trembled.

Slowly, she pushed away from Natasha and took a few stumbling steps back as she began to shrink in size. She fell to her knees as she stared at the hologram, her tears streaming down her face, as Cin slowly reverted to her calm state. Natasha had fallen to her knees as she gasped for breath, her eyes focused on the raging woman, who was no longer a threat to her or anyone.

Ana was crying as she knelt on the floor of the hangar, her eyes on the hologram of her husband, as her sobs began to echo across the empty expanse of the destroyed hanger.


	90. How Did This Happen

_Gone like a freight train_

_Gone like yesterday_

_Gone like a soldier in the civil war_

_Bang bang…_

**Gone** – Montgomery Gentry

-o-

Chapter 90: How Did This Happen

"How did this happen?" Tony was pacing behind Vision in an observing room in a hospital; he was decked out in a dark dress shirt and slacks while his left arm was in a black sling.

Vision was looking through a glass window that spanned the width of the wall that separated their room from the room next door. Not too far from Vision, a hospital technician was watching a monitor as he worked. Inside the other room was a CT scanner where Rhodey, dressed in nothing more than a blue hospital gown, was laying a gurney that was moving slowly into the scanner. He was looking battered and bruised, a result of the plummet he had suffered because of the fight that happened at the airport. Vision, who had been seeing to the Scarlet Witch after her fight with Cin, had answered a call of help from Rhodey, who had been chasing after the Quinjet with Tony. Vision had let loose a beam of energy from the Mind Stone, aiming for Sam Wilson, who had been tailing Rhodey. The Falcon had seen the coming attack and maneuvered out of the way, the beam of energy hitting the power core of the War Machine suit. It had shattered the core and the suit had lost power causing Rhodey to spiral out of control and fall to the earth, despite both Tony's and Sam Wilson's best effort to catch him.

Vision's lips thinned as he stared at Rhodey before he turned his head slightly to look at Tony. "I became distracted."

Tony paused behind Vision as an emotionless mask appeared on his face, his right hand absently rubbing his stubbled jawline. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Neither did I," said Vision as he turned his attention back to the window. "However, your sister's mental state and lack of control was cause for concern…"

Tony frowned as he began pacing once more. "Wanda did something to her…"

"Wanda did nothing more than reveal a truth that Ana had not been aware of. The emotional turmoil of losing her husband and mate has not abated over the past year," said Vision as he glanced at Tony. "And after this, I am afraid it has only gotten worse."

Tony's frown became thoughtful as he turned and left the observation room, leaving Vision to watch over Rhodey. As he stepped out into the corridor, he spotted the familiar short figure of Ana leaning against the wall. She was gazing down at her feet and the look of deep worry on her face was obvious even to Tony. She looked up when she sensed him standing there and she pushed off the wall to make her way over to him.

"How is he?" she asked, the tone of her voice filled with guilt as she fiddled with the wedding band on her left hand.

Tony looked back at the doorway of the room taking in a breath. "He's… in rough shape…" He paused, hesitating for a moment, before he reached out to take her by the elbow. "C'mon…"

Ana allowed him to lead her down the corridor, around a corner, and then further down another corridor that led out to a balcony. It was a quiet area of the hospital that overlooked a thicket of trees on the other side of a small road in the distance. He released her elbow and took a step up to the glass railing to look out at the trees. After a moment, he turned his head slightly her way, not quite looking at her. "What happened back there?"

Ana winced as she looked out to the trees, twisting and twisting her wedding band. "I don't know… Cin had full control. I don't even have any memories of anything until-" She broke off as she closed her eyes, her throat growing tight. She sighed as she tried to calm her rising heartbeat though there was no response from Cin. It was more to try to stave off the rising panic attack, the memories that Cin had hidden from her playing over and over in her mind of Bruce's last moments.

"What did Wanda show you?" asked Tony, turning around to face her. "What hallucination could she have possibly conjured up that kept you from doing your job?"

Ana faltered as she took a step back, looking as if she had been slapped. She had gone slightly pale but her anger had begun to rise. "Do not, Anthony Stark," she began as she took in a heaving breath. "Do _not_ lay the blame of what happened to Rhodey at my feet." She raised a hand and pointed a finger his way. "We knew the risks we were taking the moment we decided to let her free. There is only so much I can do to control her rage and knowing that mind witch was there was more than enough-" She stopped herself and took in another breath as she shook her head. "I'm sorry that we distracted Vision… I'm sorry Rhodey got hurt because of it. It was obviously a bad idea for me to rejoin the Avengers. I'm… I'm going home…"

"Ana…" Tony raised a hand to stop her but she waved him off as she turned to leave, her emotions a jumbled mess.

She had been so distracted she had slammed into someone who had been making their way out into the balcony. "Oh, I'm so-" The apology died on her lips when she looked up and found the face of one of the last people she wanted to see at the moment.

Natasha, seeing who it was she had bumped into, took an immediate step back with a nervous smile on her face, no doubt remembering the last time they had been around each other. "Oh… Hey, that's ok."

Ana frowned as she looked at Natasha before she turned her attention back to Tony. "You want to know what that mind witch showed me? Cin knew and kept it from me all this time. Erai had seen it in the Hulk's mind when he had fought beside him in Sokovia and inadvertently shared it with Cin that day at the compound. Ask _her_ what had happened between my husband and her just before he disappeared." She turned her attention back to Natasha, her hate and anger clear in her deep brown eyes. "Ask her why she felt the need to kiss _my_ mate… Then you'll understand what happened back there." A look of disgust crossed Ana's features as she had the satisfaction of seeing Natasha turn very pale. She left the two of them, intentionally slamming her shoulder into Natasha as she passed, causing the other woman to stumble back.

Ana walked at a fast pace, the need to escape everything overwhelming her as she made her way down a series of corridors to get to one of the elevators of the hospital. Despite everything, the one she truly wanted to get away from was within her, hiding behind a blank wall that Ana could not penetrate. The fact that Cin had kept this from her all this time… Did her other self truly think her that weak? Ana wasn't that young girl who needed protection anymore. She was a wife and a mother who was more than capable of handling whatever happened her way. Had this past year not shown it? Hadn't all she had done for the sake of her brother, forsaking her own feelings of rejoining the Avengers and signing the Accords to support him, shown Cin nothing? Sure, she had that momentary breakdown in front of Tony at MIT but that had been the only incident prior to what happened with the mind witch. It seemed her other self didn't understand her very well. She wasn't the same person she had been a year ago. She wasn't happy but she was stronger because of all they had been through.

Well, it didn't matter.

What mattered was that she had done her part. Now, she was going home to her children where she should have stayed since the beginning of all this mess.

As she came to a stop in front of the elevator, she reached out to push the down button only to have another hand reach out to beat her to it. Recognizing the distinct hue that belonged to Vision, she looked up at him as a muscle ticked in her jaw. "Vision…"

"Allow me to escort you home Ana," he said as he pulled his hand back and clasped it with his other behind his back.

A slight feeling of annoyance welled up in her as she turned her gaze to the closed elevator doors. "I wouldn't concern yourself. My chances of flaring up are very low at the moment… Cin has not been responsive to anything."

"It is not in that manner," he said as he looked at her. "It is merely in concern for a friend… I had failed once; I do not want anything to happen again."

Ana glanced up at him, studied him for a moment, before a hesitant but thankful smile appeared on her lips. He was merely watching over her for the sake of his own conscious and nothing to do with the Accords. It was a relief to know that she wouldn't be constrained and restricted on her way home at least.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

They both stepped on without another word.

-o-

Tony watched as the woman whom he called sister stormed off down the corridor, leaving him alone with Natasha. The deep frown that played on his face spoke measures as he turned his attention to the redhead. "Care to explain what that was about?"

Natasha could feel her anxiety rising as Tony's hazel eyes stared her down. She gave a shake of her head as she looked out at the expanse of trees. "It was…" She heaved a sigh, trying to calm her nervousness. "It was a judgement call. We needed the Hulk and it was the only thing I could think of to get him angry."

"A judgement call?" said Tony, letting out a huff of a laugh and looking back to the corridor. "Bruce was hell bent on getting back to his family. That was the one thing he wanted above all else." He looked back at Natasha, his gaze filled with a hint of the anger he was feeling. "But he volunteered to help get you out of that HYDRA facility anyway. So, you just decided to hell with what he wanted and made him go green?"

"It was the right call," she said as she focused her gaze on him, her stance straightening. "We needed his help and I am not going to feel guilty for doing my job."

"Kissing another woman's husband is a hell of a way of doing your job Nat," Tony said with a sneer as he shook his head and turned away from her. "Not like it hadn't crossed your mind before I'm sure." He noted the silence in response to that and he looked back at her. "Oh, you thought no one noticed? Some of us were very aware of your feelings for Bruce but I thought you had better sense than to act on them."

The silence fell heavier than ever, the tension growing between the two as each heartbeat passed. After a moment, Natasha crossed her arms and looked away. "It doesn't matter now, it's in the past. Right now, we need to worry about the present. Steve's not gonna stop. If you don't either, Rhodey's going to be the best-case scenario."

"You let Steve and Barnes go Nat," said Tony in reply as he turned away from Natasha.

"We played this wrong."

"'We?'" Tony let out a heartless chuckle. "Boy, it must be hard to play the whole double agent thing, huh? It sticks in the DNA."

"Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one goddamn second?" Natasha hissed, her tone growing hard.

"Not when my sister is hurting because of a choice _you_ made!" He snapped back as he looked at her, his hazel eyes blazing before he caught himself and took a breath to calm down. He glanced down at his watch in the pretense of checking the time. "T'Challa told Ross what you did so…" He looked at her, his face a blank mask. "They're coming for you."

Natasha frowned at this, her anger and guilt clear in her eyes. "I'm not the one that needs to watch their back," she said in reply before she turned on her heel and walked away.

Tony watched her leave, his mind filled with troubled thoughts over the mess of everything that had happened and the worry and concern for Rhodey and for Ana. Things were such a mess…

A ping on his wristwatch caught his attention and he tapped it with his right forefinger, bringing up some holographic images. "What am I looking at, Friday?"

The female synthesized voice of his AI responded from the watch. "Priority upload from Berlin police."

Tony frowned down at the image, studying it before he turned on his feet and left the balcony. "Fire up the chopper."

-o-

Ana was sitting in the backseat of a taxi with Vision beside her, thoughtfully running her fingers over the glass piece of her choker as she stared out the window. They were on their way to a different airport where a private jet would be waiting to take them back to the States. The ride had been silent so far with neither saying a word to the other as they watched the scenery pass them by. Occasionally, the cab driver would throw curious glances at Vision in the rearview mirror but was professional enough that he didn't engage them in conversation.

They had been traveling for several hours and were almost at their destination when Ana's phone started ringing. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her smartphone and swiped the screen. A hologram popped up and Jenn's face appeared, her pale blue eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were streaked with tears. The moment Ana had answered the phone, Jenn went off in a tangent of garbled French, her words too hard for Ana to catch and understand.

" _Tante, calme-vouz,_ " said Ana as her hand tightened over the phone. "Speak slowly, what's wrong?"

"Th- they're gone!" she cried, her breaths heaving in gasping sobs from the other end. "I- I just received the message from Cammie: Betty, Erai and the twins are gone! The house is completely destroyed! I can't locate them from any GPS… I- I- I searched everywhere! _Mon dieu,_ if I had not been so distracted with this _stupid_ fight... How had they gotten passed the surveillance?! God damn them!" The sound of something slamming against a hard surface could be heard from Jenn's end of the line.

"They're… gone?" Ana felt her heart drop as Jenn's words settled. "They're gone?!" Panic began to well up in her chest as her hands trembled.

_Her babies were missing… Her babies were missing…_

She felt the phone being taken from her hands as her panic began to rise further.

_Someone took her babies._

"Jenn, it is Vision," she heard from beside her. "Are you absolutely sure the twins are gone?" A brief pause but Ana did not hear the response; she was numb from the panic. "Calibrate the satellites and start doing a global sweep. Do not worry, we will find them. I will notify Mr. Stark of the immediate situation..."

At those words, Ana blinked and a flash of yellow could be seen in her brown eyes. She blinked again and a look of calm determination began to replace the panic. The blank wall that had been between Cin and Ana had become clear as the grave reality of the situation they were in settled down deep. Their babies were gone and now was not the time for their emotional turmoil. Their children needed them. She should have realized something like this would happen. Everything that had happened to the Avengers was too convenient in its timing. Ross' involvement, the Accords, the bombing in Vienna, the Avengers fighting one another, even this thing with the assassins. All of it seemed too well put together to distract Tony and her from the real trouble. She should have sensed the trouble with her family but with everything that had happened she hadn't.

They had fallen into a trap and now her family was in danger.

Reaching over, Ana took the phone from Vision. " _Tante,_ I need you find any signs of a blackout from our surveillance team and their equipment. We had them watched at all times, someone had to have known the rotations and known how to bypass our systems to get to them without our group catching them. They also took Erai, which means these are people who knew what he was capable of and had managed to catch him off guard." She paused, frowning at the thought of her family being seriously hurt because of her negligence. "...I also need you to search into any and all files pertaining to Secretary Ross: Who his associates are, contacts he had made, locations he had been to, _everything_ and _anything_ he had ever been connected to within the past four years. Tie that in with everything we have on file for the Life Foundation and get back to me."

Jenn was silent as she took down this info, realizing what it was that Ana was suspecting. She swallowed back a sob as she gave a grim nod before a watery smile eased her frown. "It's a relief to have you back."

Ana understood what her aunt meant; she and Cin were finally back in sync. It was a shame it had happened only because their family was in danger. "Don't worry, we're going to get them back," said Ana to her aunt, who nodded again. "Love you _Tante_ , do not blame yourself."

Once the call was disconnected, she tapped on the screen and pulled up her direct line to FRIDAY. "Yes, Mrs. Banner? How can I help you?"

"Friday, I need to find my brother."

"Mr. Stark is currently at the ocean prison, the Raft. He was notified of a priority update from Berlin police and has just finished speaking with Secretary Ross, who is currently stationed there."

"Of course, he is..." Ana said with a frown, a small growl escaping her lips. "Friday, please have a Quinjet ready once I reach the airport. Have it set to stealth mode and program the autopilot to Tony's coordinates. I will find him."

"Yes ma'am, would you like me to send a message to Mr. Stark? He has just boarded his chopper."

"No, I do not want to set anything off. It's imperative that this remains off the grid. There is a chance we may have been compromised."

"Very well Mrs. Banner."

"What are you planning, Ana?" Vision asked as he watched her disconnect from FRIDAY and pulled up another program, this one connected to the secure mainframe that Jenn worked directly from.

"I suspect who took my family but I will need more than my links to them to find them and get them back. I can't do this on my own. I'm going to need help and I'm going to need Tony's cooperation for this to work. There's going to be choices made that he may not agree with..." She looked at Vision and he could see the flash of yellow in her eyes, a clear sign that Cin and Ana were in sync with their thought processes. Something that had not been seen since before Bruce had disappeared. "Vision, I need you to head back to the Avengers compound and help Jenn."

"I don't think-"

"I need you there to keep my aunt calm. Keeping her calm will help her focus which in turn will help me." She turned in her seat to face him. "Can you do this for me? It's going to be strictly off the records. This is something personal, which is not in line with the Accords. We'll be outside the law on this one but considering the situation I don't give a damn. I'm asking you, as a friend, to please help me get my babies back."

Vision frowned at this, studying her, before he gave a nod. "These are children they kidnapped... I would not expect you, as their mother, to react any differently... I will help you."

Ana smiled at this, the relief evident that she had her first ally in this. The Accords had their place but this was one instance where Ana could understand the Captain's refusal to sign them. In a situation like this one, where time was of the essence, waiting for a decision from a UN panel would have consequences. The taxi shifted, making a turn toward the airport, and Ana turned her attention back out the window. There was no time to waste...

 


	91. A Little Numbness

_Gossip_

_Rumors_

_Just plain lies_

_But we're on the same side_

_Gossip_

_Rumors_

_Let's put it aside_

_Fuck, we're on the same side…_

**Put It Aside** – Youth of Today

-o-

Chapter 91: A Little Numbness

A little numbness went a long way when panic, anger and fear could easily override the instincts. That was one of the things she missed about being in sync with Cin. The benefit of having another consciousness active at the same time within her mind was that they managed to balance each other out. It was something that was greatly needed at this time as she swiped through her tablet, looking over the files Jenn had sent to her.

She was sitting in the pilot's seat of the Quinjet but the craft was set on autopilot. She was currently flying through a storm, following her brother's coordinates that were nowhere near the original destination. It seemed he was on a mission of his own that wasn't sanctioned by a UN panel. When she had been on her way toward the Raft she had passed Tony's helicopter making its way back to the Avengers compound but he was not on board. When she accessed FRIDAY, the AI advised her that Tony was nearly to Siberia in his Iron Man suit, trying to get to Captain America. It seemed the psychiatrist from the Berlin base was there to gain access to another one of HYDRA's secret facilities that had long been abandoned. Where even more soldiers like Barnes were being kept under ice. The psychiatrist was not in fact a doctor or even the same man – that man had been found dead in a hotel bathroom. This man had even impersonated Barnes, meaning he had been the one responsible for the bombings in Vienna – a facial prosthesis in the likeness of the Winter Solider had been found at the same hotel. The man was named Helmut Zemo and he had been a Sokovian colonel, who led an elite special ops team for his country. His connection with Sokovia spoke measures. It seemed this might be a tale of vengeance.

Ana had the Quinjet continue onward to follow her brother's signal as she continued perusing through the files her aunt had sent to her. She had flicked through all the data of news articles, social media posts, video footage, and personal files; _everything_ Jenn had procured through her relentless investigative hacking. She noted that Ross had been seen at several public events over the past three years with a man who was a well-known affiliate of the Life Foundation. His name was Roland Treece, CEO of Treece International and a member of the Board of Directors for the Life Foundation itself. It seemed the man had been one of the primary funders of Ross' campaign for Secretary of State. Well, there was one connection.

She swiped through the rest of the data, discovering that Ross had had frequent meetings with Treece in the past year and the man had been present during the initial drafting of the Sokovian Accords. The man was unremarkable: A Caucasian with dark brown hair swept back from a pointed face, a goatee that did not look well. He had this constant look on his face like there was something disgusting under his nose. He was the kind of man that was easily overlooked. He himself had not had a hand in what had happened with Ana during her time in that underground facility or with what happened in Midtown when the Abomination had been let loose over three years ago. He was on their watch list but wasn't deemed an active threat. At least until now.

Ana scrolled through more of the data until something caught her eye and she paused, feeling her heartbeat rising just a little. It was such an insignificant thing and something that would have initially been overlooked, like so many things had been. It was a picture taken by a CCTV camera that overlooked a corner on a street that could be found in any city in almost any country. On the corner was a small café with a few patio tables outside of the shop. Sitting at one of the tables was the man Roland Treece himself and he was speaking with another man who looked very familiar. She zoomed in the image and enhanced the resolution of the man sitting across from Treece. A span of a heartbeat and another clue to the puzzle had fallen into place. The other man was the very same one Captain America was after, Helmut Zemo. She looked at the date the image was taken: A year ago, just a few weeks after Ultron's defeat and the destruction of that city in Sokovia.

Ana looked out the windshield of the Quinjet, watching the dark clouds passing and the rain streaking across the glass. All of it was connected. Every single thing that had happened was all connected back to the Life Foundation. They had taken their time, plotted and planned and slowly eased their way into a position where they could outmaneuver the Avengers. Using Ross as a political tool and Zemo as a terrorist tool and the result was this very thing: The Avengers torn apart and distracted so they could finally make their move. The only question was who was it that had compromised the safety of her family? Who was it that was under their employ that had turned traitor? That was something Jenn was still trying to find out. Whoever they had been had covered their tracks very well.

Taking in a breath, Ana sent an encrypted message of her discovery back to Jenn and set the tablet aside. Whoever they were, Jenn would find them. She was anything if not determined…

The Quinjet continued on its flight path through the dark clouds and rain while Ana reached up to press on the glass piece of her choker. A hologram of Luc and Beccie popped up a foot in front of her. Both toddlers were smiling and laughing as they waved to the camera.

" _Say bye bye to Mama,_ " came Betty's voice.

" _Bye Mama! Lo' you!"_

-o-

The Quinjet landed on a barren wasteland of snow and rock, still in stealth mode.

Off in the distance, another Quinjet could be seen – the very same one from the airport. It was close to an all-terrain vehicle that was parked outside of a mound of innocuous craggy, snow-covered rocks. A smaller jet that Ana was not familiar with was parked close to this area but hidden behind an outcropping of more snow-covered rocks.

She reached out to the console in front of her and did a quick scan, revealing it to be a single person jet. Running the craft's schematics through her database, it was of an unknown make and model, no registry info. Well, this was going to be interesting. She could only assume it was another person on a mission of a personal nature. She ruled out Natasha, she doubted the assassin would get involved in anything after what went down at the airport but who knew for sure. Her thoughts went to T'Challa being a possibility; his thirst for vengeance against the man who killed his father would not deter him in his mission.

Deciding it was best not to dwell on this unknown person, Ana kept the stealth mode active on her jet before she got out of the pilot's seat. She made her way to the back hatch and took in a deep breath, feeling the trembling in her muscles. She reached up to stroke the glass piece of her choker as she closed her eyes. "We know what we need to do so let's make sure we get it done this time."

A feeling of agreement slipped though the clear mental wall between them, Cin already in the mindset for a potential fight. However, she knew what the priority was and there would be no distractions this time.

The thoughts of her babies being in danger spurred her on and Ana hit the control panel to the back hatch. The hatch lowered and a blast of freezing air hit her. She was already decked out in her black uniform and she could feel Cin’s consciousness partially slip through the clear wall. This time the feeling of changing was not a one-sided affair. She grew in height and lean muscle, her crimson veins glowing with subdued thermal energy and her eyes were glowing yellow but it was not the full change. She maintained a height of a little over six feet and her hands and feet retained their human shape. This was a partial change meant for both Ana and Cin to maintain control. It was rarely used since it was not Cin's strongest form but it would be enough to defend herself if need be to get to Tony.

When everything settled, she walked down the hatch and out into the freezing cold, the snow that swirled around her exposed skin hissing upon contact. She wore nothing else except her Avengers uniform, her bare feet melting the snow with each step as she made her way quickly toward the craggy rock points that stuck out of the snow. It was where the all-terrain vehicle and the Captain's Quinjet were parked close to. As she drew nearer, she could see a doorway with set of metal doors – one of them opened – set into the rock. It had been worn down by the elements over the years so that it blended near seamlessly with the surrounding rock it was set into. She was about to approach the open doorway when the sound of groaning caught her ear.

Turning away from the doorway, she made her way quickly around the entrance in the rocks to find a large snow mound slowly rising into the air. She didn't hesitate to rush toward the snow mound, seeing the metal working along the side as it continued to rise. It was a large round hatch that had been set into the ground, the loud groaning of the hinge grating on her hearing.

Concentrating on her mental links to her family, she focused on the one between Tony and her, knowing he was close by. The sudden onslaught of anguish and anger that hit her had been unexpected and she cried out as she clutched a hand over her heart, doubling over with a gasping sob.

Her brother was in so much pain. She had no idea what could have caused this but she knew it was somehow related to this Zemo character. Another part of his plan to tear apart the Avengers, no doubt. It didn't take rocket science to know that her brother was fighting the Captain and his buddy down there because of this.

Straightening up, she struggled to push back the mental anguish from her brother's link. She ran in a staggering manner toward the edge of the hatch, the closest point to her being to the left of the large hinge. She didn't hesitate to lean over the edge, about to jump down, when she was caught by surprise to find someone else was already climbing their way up. A pair of shocked blue eyes met with glowing yellow ones before the sound of something whistling caught her ear.

Looking down, she caught sight of red and gold from further below before a sudden explosion erupted from her left, the hinge to the hatch destroyed from the little missile that had hit it. The explosion was too close and she was thrown over the ledge from the force of it, a scream of pain and anger erupting from her lips as large pieces of shrapnel tore through her left arm and side. She fell for just a split second before something caught her left hand, wrapping around her bloody wrist. A sharp hiss emerged through her gritted teeth from the sudden stop, her left arm nearly popping from its socket. She looked up and caught sight of the Winter Soldier, who was holding onto her left wrist and straining to maintain his hold. His blue eyes had flicked over to her before he looked up at the hatch that was falling down at a rapid pace.

He let out a curse as he was forced to let go of the ladder he had been climbing and they both fell down and slammed onto a grilled platform. A snarl escaped her as the crimson veins in her left arm and side began to glow a little brighter, already healing the damage that had been done. Sensing a presence rapidly approaching, she quickly got back to her bare feet and blocked the oncoming blow from the Winter Soldier, who had gotten to his feet behind her. He had grabbed a piece of debris and swung it out only for her to catch it with her left hand, keeping it from striking her brother. Her hand was slick with blood and was now glowing red, her fingers curling over the metal and bending it out of shape. At the same time, she had blocked a punch from her brother, her right trembling from the effort of fighting off the strength of the suit.

"Ana?" Tony's voice emerged from the suit, confusion breaking through the anguished pain he was feeling. "What are you...?" He hesitated before he shook his head. "Get out of my way Ana."

"No," she said, her gaze focused on the optics of the suit. "You need to stop."

"You don't understand what's going on," he said, his tone of voice was bitter and heartbroken.

"I understand big brother," she said, trying to get him to calm down so he could listen. She didn't know why he was acting in such a way toward Barnes; it must have been very bad. Yet, it was not important as trying to get him to calm down so he could listen. They could deal with whatever this was after they got the twins back. She needed her brother. "Trust me, I understand! But I need your help right now." She continued straining against the suit, her fingers curling around the finger joints of his suit as her hands began to glow from the heat. "Please, stop!"

He hesitated for only a second before he spoke. "Get out of my way or I _will_ make you."

She snarled as she shook her head, now understanding the frustration he must have been feeling when he had been dealing with the situation regarding Cin and the mind witch. "Do you really to want to take that risk?"

Apparently, he did.

As soon as she had she spoken the words, he used the thrusters of the left hand she was holding and pulled his arm back, throwing her out of the way. She went sailing toward the concrete wall, slammed against it, and fell down on a grilled platform a couple of stories below. She shook the dizziness off as she got back to her feet. Oh, he was gonna pay for that later...

She heard the scuffle up above and looked up to see Tony had Barnes around the neck. He hovered off the grilled platform with Barnes, heading back down toward the ground floor, when Captain America had arrived from below and jumped out from a grilled platform to grab the two men. The added weight sent Tony's thrusters off - she could see the thrusters were damaged in his left boot – and they all went falling down to the ground level below.

Barnes had managed to land on a grilled platform but Tony and Steve had plummeted to the ground floor. Tony landed on a raised concrete platform that looked like it used to house a missile. In fact, the entire structure they were in looked like an old missile silo. Steve had managed to hit the side of the concrete platform but had rolled down toward a vented opening that led to the outside.

Seeing that Barnes was alone, she moved toward the edge of her platform and jumped down. She fell for a moment before landing with a bone-jarring thud on the platform Barnes occupied. Not hesitating, she reached out to take the man by his neck and lifted him up to his feet. Now, he was easily six feet tall but in her current form she had him by several inches and she was strong. Yet, she was trying very hard not to succumb to the rage that was steadily rising. "What did you do to him," she growled, the tone of her voice firm.

Barnes swallowed, trying to pry the surprisingly strong grip she had on his neck. His blue eyes focused on her glowing yellow ones as the guilt and resignation emerged in the words he spoke. "I killed his parents... Under control of HYDRA…"

The grip on his neck tightened as the crimson veins in her arm began to glow a deep red. He could feel the heat beginning to rise in her hand and, after having witnessed firsthand what she was capable of, tried to think of some way to get out of this current situation. Yet, instead of being attacked, he could see that she was hesitating – unlike the man she called her brother – and this was what caught his attention. He didn't put up a fight as the hand tightened, closing off his airway. He simply looked into her eyes, his regret and guilt clear, hoping that she would see reason.

She could feel the anguish from her brother, could hear him fighting Steve down below, and the tears were already falling. She understood. She understood better now that she knew. Having lost her own mother, she knew so well the pain he was feeling…

But now was not the time for vengeance.

She needed her brother's help but with this new revelation she was going to have to change her plans. In order for what she had planned to work she needed someone with a clearer head than her own. She needed someone who could stay calm even under pressure because when the time came to get her babies back, she was going to be nothing but rage. Right now, Tony wasn't going to be able to help...

She took in a breath and slowly loosened her hold on Barnes' neck. It was taking so much restraint on both Ana and Cin's part to not burn this man alive for hurting the man she loved as her brother. Instead, she swallowed back her tears and once again pushed away the anguish from her brother. She stared up at Barnes as a slow breath eased past her lips. "What would you do to atone for your sins?"

The question caught him off guard but he could see that she was not going to kill him. She seemed genuinely interested in knowing. He didn't hesitate to answer. "Whatever it takes. Anything to make things right."

She studied him a moment longer before she nodded and set him on his feet, letting him go. "I need Steve's help and I'm sure that means you will be included if he agrees. Do _not_ make me regret this."

Curious but willing to go along with whatever she had planned, Barnes nodded in agreement.

"We need to stop my brother," she said as she looked down at Steve and him still battling. She looked back at him. "With the way he is feeling, there is no way he'll stop on his own. We have to pin him down long enough so I can talk to him."

Again, Barnes nodded as he watched the strange woman turn away from him and looked to her left, spotting the Captain's shield lying close by on their platform. Leaning over, she grabbed the metal disk and turned back to Barnes, holding it out to him. "Get to the Captain; tell him we need to pin my brother down. I'll go first, you follow."

Barnes took the shield and nodded, somewhat speechless that this strange raging woman was not trying to kill him when she had every reason to. There must've been something else going on that only she was aware of and it was important enough to set aside any personal vendettas. He watched as she leapt down to a lower platform before leaping down to the ground floor. He quickly followed her same path, watching as she leapt into the fight between Steve and her brother.

Tony had Steve pinned down on the floor and was delivering blow after blow before she had landed on his back, reaching out to tuck her arms under his. She reached around and up to dig her fingers into the crevices of his suit behind his shoulders, locking her grip down tight as her hands began to glow red from the heat. She effectively managed to lock his arms into place, keeping him from hitting the Captain further. She than heaved him backwards away from the man, her glowing feet digging into the concrete floor for leverage.

"Let go, Ana!" Tony said as he struggled against her grip.

"No! You need to stop!" she cried, glancing over his shoulder to see that Barnes had gotten to Steve and was helping him up, handing him his shield. "I need help over here!" She called out to them, bracing herself as she struggled to pull her brother back.

Barnes had managed to do as she asked and filled Steve in on her odd request as he helped him up. More than a little confused and surprised at the unexpected aid – from Tony's sister of all people – Steve had nodded his agreement. At hearing her cry for help, both super soldiers rushed toward Tony as the enraged man was struggling against his sister's hold. He had kicked on his thrusters, intent on throwing her off, when Steve and Barnes had reached out to grab him and pull him down. With the combined effort of all three enhanced individuals, they had, with some struggle, managed to push Tony against the concrete wall, slamming him up against Ana, who in turn had her head cracked against the wall.

"Why are you helping him?!" Tony growled out, disbelief that the woman he saw as his sister would betray him. He struggled against their hold, not wanting to hurt his sister but realizing he may have to in order to get free. "He killed my mom!"

Her hold on him tightened as she struggled, the tears now streaming once more. "I know big brother! I know and it hurts! But you need to stop! You're making the same mistakes I did!"

"No!" The artillery of his suit emerged as he continued to struggle. "He has to pay for what he did-"

She shook her head with a sob as she screamed. " _Luc and Beccie are gone_!"

Silence.

Complete and utter silence and stillness fell.

There was a moment when all four individuals could only stare at one another, their heavy breathing the only sound that could be heard.

Finally, Tony seemed to relax just a little and his helmet slid away, revealing his bruised face. The anger was still there but the words Ana had screamed had managed to penetrate. He turned his head, trying to see behind him to look at her but couldn't make her out. "…what…?"

She slowly gave a nod as another sob escaped her. "They're gone Tony and it's our fault… We got distracted and they took advantage of that. Now my babies are gone… I need your help to get them back. So please… Please stop this."

A few tense moments had passed but it looked like Tony had finally stopped trying to fight back.

Moving hesitantly, Steve and Barnes carefully let go of Tony and took a step back. Tony immediately stepped away from the wall, his artillery folding back into place, as Ana let go of him. He turned around to face her, the look on his pale face was grim. "How…?"

"Zemo was a distraction. Ross was a blockade," she said as she started to revert back to her calm self, shrinking down to her normal height. She blinked and the yellow glow faded from her eyes. She looked up at Tony as she wrapped her arms around herself, the cold wind blowing in through the large vent and cooling her heated skin. "They were used to get to us."

"Who?" Tony asked, gritting his teeth from the rage that was still running through him. "Who took the twins?"

"Who else?" she said, giving a heartless laugh as she looked away.

"The Life Foundation?" Steve asked this time, catching Ana's attention. "But they hadn't tried anything since-"

"They were biding their time," said Ana, "They used connections political and otherwise, legal and illegal, to get to this point. Jenn and I think there may have been someone on the inside that turned traitor."

"What about Erai and Betty?" Tony asked, the anger was turning into slight distress at the thought of Luc and Beccie being hurt. "They were supposed to be watching them."

"Taken with them," said Ana. "No sign of them anywhere and Jenn has been looking."

"They used Zemo to get to you," said Barnes, looking at Ana before looking at Steve. "He escaped during all this trouble. We can still catch him. Get him to talk."

Tony frowned as he looked at the Winter Soldier, his hazel eyes blazing. "This isn't over… But my godkids are in trouble so I'm willing to put it aside for now… Let's get the bastard." His helmet slid back over his face and he turned around to Ana. "You got this or do you need help?"

Ana looked at him and a deep frown touched her features before she began to change back to her partial enraged state. "Considering you almost blew me up and threw me against a wall big brother, I'm not too happy with you right now. Keep your distance."

Tony had the decency to sound chagrined as he turned away. "Yeah… Sorry about that."

She snarled at him in response before she turned and rushed off, heading toward the large vent that led outside, the three men following behind her. Barnes couldn't help the slight smile of amusement at this strange woman and as she led the way, Tony following close behind her, he reached out to pull Steve closer to him.

"Is she for real?" he asked with a low voice.

Steve glanced at Ana before an understanding smile touched his lips. "Yeah… She takes some getting used to and you can't fault her loyalty. I'm just sorry it took something like this to happen to get Tony to finally stop... A moment longer…" He sighed and shook his head. "C'mon…" He reached out to slap a hand on Barnes' shoulder before both men hurried to follow Ana and Tony out into the snowy expanse.


	92. You Should've Seen His Little Face

_Come lean a little bit closer_

_And lend me your ear_

_And I'll tell you something_

_That you don't want to hear_

_And there's nothing that you can do to prepare…_

**Plan of Attack** – Goodnight, Texas

-o-

Chapter 92: You Should've Seen His Little Face

" _You should've seen his little face. Just try, ok? I'm going to bed. I love you_."

The message that played on the phone was one that had been played many, many times over the past year. The man who listened to this message was sitting on an outcropping of rock that overlooked the expanse of the snowy wasteland. It was freezing cold but he didn't seem to care. Instead, as he finished listening to the message for a final time, he pulled the phone down from his ear and pressed the button to delete it from his voicemail. He stared thoughtfully down at his phone, running his thumb over the screen while behind him another man was stealthily sneaking up.

The other man was decked out in an all-black uniform from head to toe that resembled a black predatory cat. He had paused, carefully and silently removing his black helmet to reveal a face of African descent with strong features. He carefully set the helmet down in the snow before he continued getting closer to the man. "I almost killed the wrong man," he said, moving slowly as he kept his tense poise, ready to strike or to defend depending on what the other man did.

Zemo spared him a glance before turning his attention back to the phone. "Hardly an innocent one," he said, his Sokovian accent clear in his words.

"This is all you wanted?" asked T'Challa, his own unique Wakandan accent gracing his words, the look on his face hard to decipher. "To see them rip each other apart."

A muscle ticked in Zemo's jaw as he rubbed his thumb over the screen of his phone once more. "My father lived outside the city. I thought we would be safe there." He gave a slight shake of his head, a distant smile on his face. "My son was excited. He could see the Iron Man from the car window." The smile faded and the dead look replaced his features once more. "I told my wife, 'Don't worry. They are fighting in the city. We're miles from harm.'" He closed his eyes as he allowed one shattered breath to ease from his lips. "When the dust cleared and the screaming stopped… It took me two days until I found their bodies. My father… still holding my wife and son in his arms." He shook his head, the corners of his lips turning down in mock disbelief. "And the Avengers? They went home… I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried… but…" A huff of a laugh escaped him. "If I could get them to kill each other…"

"The keyword being 'if.'"

Another accented voice had spoken from off to their right, interrupting Zemo, and both men glanced over in surprise. The person who had spoken was a woman who was clearly anything but human. Standing on either side of her were Captain America and Iron Man, the Winter Soldier taking up the rear. Everyone was looking particularly tense as they moved around to encircle Zemo, giving him no means of escape.

Zemo glanced around at the assembled group of Avengers, seeing that the one final piece of his plan had failed. A soft chuckle escaped him as he shook his head and pocketed his phone. He glanced around once more before his gaze fell on Ana. "You must be the monster's wife… You weren't there that day in Sokovia." He looked around once more at the men before he huffed out another laugh and shook his head. "It was nothing personal against you Mrs. Banner… But kudos to you for delaying the inevitable. "

"The moment you made the choices that you had it became personal," said Ana, a snarl lingering around her words. "What did Roland Treece promise you in return for all that you did?"

Zemo raised a single brow, a flicker of surprise crossing his features as he looked back at Ana. "Ah… You found that out? Very impressive, Mrs. Banner." He turned away from her to look back out toward the distance. "Mr. Treece promised me nothing in return. He simply advised that his leader wanted to help me, to ensure that I had the means to enact my vengeance. It seemed I was not the only one with a grudge against the Avengers."

"Who is his leader?" asked Steve, trying to keep the man talking.

Zemo focused his gaze on the Captain, who was standing a little to the left and behind him. "I don't know. He didn't tell me anything more and I honestly didn't care. All they did was provide the funds I needed to get my plans into motion."

"Well, congratulations asshole," said Tony as he kept a hand raised, his energy beam ready and primed. "You got what you wanted. Now the lives of two more innocent children are in danger."

The man gave a slight frown at that as he turned his head to look at Tony. "My plans did not involve putting any children in danger, I can promise you that. I would not want any parent to feel the pain I feel…" He shook his head as he looked away and continued to stare off at the distance.

"Think again," said Steve as he took a subtle step to the side, his shield held in front of him.

Zemo shook his head once more. "That would not be possible."

" _My_ children Mr. Zemo," said Ana as she took a step forward and, as quick as a whip, reached out to grab him by the back of the neck, her other hand quickly grabbing the pistol he had withdrawn. Her palm covered over the barrel just as a loud shot rang out. Blood pooled from the hole in Ana's hand but she was not deterred in her objective. "My children are in danger. They were taken by the very people Mr. Treece works with. They used you to get to me and I assure you, the people who funded your plans have _no_ qualms with harming a child."

At that moment, a fierce red glow emerged from Ana's palm and Zemo's eyes rolled up to the back of his head. It took only a moment but it was long enough and when she released him, Zemo let out a horrified shout. He looked up at her, his face pale and his breathing shattered, as he wiped the spittle from his mouth. "Wh-what was that?"

"My childhood memories," said Ana as she straightened up, ripping the pistol from his hand. " _That_ is what these people are capable of and you helped them to get my children."

His breathing was heavy as he stared into Ana's glowing yellow eyes, seeing the inhumanity of her but also seeing the despair of a parent who had lost the most important part of themselves. He bore no regret for his actions; he would do it again in a heartbeat if given the chance. Yet, as a father and after experiencing the terrible memories of this mother's own past, she had the chance he was not given: To save her children. Especially if it meant saving them from a fate she herself had suffered already.

He turned his gaze away as he looked down at the snow. "Mr. Treece mentioned of a place in a desert in the States. A fallout shelter that I could go to in case any of my plans fell through… Maybe he meant it as a message for you."

Ana felt her heart drop as she took a step back away from Zemo, a slight tremble in her muscles as she shook her head. "Of all the places…"

"Ana, do you know what he's talking about?" asked Steve, his gaze studying the raging woman with concern.

Ana looked at the Captain and gave a firm nod. "It's in the Mojave… But that place is no fallout shelter. It seems too convenient… It's most likely a trap. Until we get moving from this place, I can't tell you for sure if that's where they are."

"But there's a chance it could be the place," said Tony as he lowered his arm. "We can't let it go regardless if it's a trap. Let's move. We'll figure it out on the way."

Ana gave another nod in response to her brother as she threw the pistol out into the snow. Her hand was already healing over, the gaping hole shrinking down as new bone and tissue replaced itself at a rapid pace.

"Vengeance has consumed you," said T'Challa to Zemo as Tony moved behind the man to bind his hands. "It had almost consumed them…" After listening to everything that had happened to the Avengers, seeing the result of such a relentless pursuit all for the sake of revenge, he had seen and heard enough. He relaxed from his poise and slowly straightened. "I am done letting it consume me," he said, the claws of his gloves retracting.

Zemo glanced at T'Challa, studied him a moment, before he looked away. "I'm sorry about your father. He seemed a good man… With a dutiful son." He paused before turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder. "Good luck Mrs. Banner. I hope your children have a better outcome than my son had…"

T'Challa had moved over to take Zemo by the arm and pulled him up to his feet. He looked at the others. "I will take him to the authorities," he said. "Justice will come soon enough for this one…" He looked at Ana and a slight frown touched his features. "Yet, I fear for your children's safety." He paused, looking at Zemo, before he reached out and pinched a pressure point along the man's neck. Zemo dropped like a bag of rocks and T'Challa did not even attempt to soften his fall. Once the man was out cold, he turned his attention back to Ana. "Did not want to chance letting slip anything he might use against you. I will help you in any way that I can. Something is telling me you will not be waiting for approval for this mission of yours."

Ana gave a small smile and nodded. "You are correct in your assumption, your Highness. I have a plan but it will mean doing a few things that go against the Accords. I would advise against being open in your assistance."

T'Challa nodded as he moved over to grab his helmet from the snow. "When you are ready, do not hesitate to call me."

The group watched as T'Challa gave a nod in goodbye to them before he took Zemo by the collar of his coat and pulled him up, throwing the man over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. He then turned and walked away over the snow and rocks, making his way to the jet that was hidden behind the outcropping. Once they were out of sight, the three men turned toward Ana, the aftermath of the fight still making them jumpy but no one willing to address the cause just yet.

"What's your plan, Ana?" asked Tony as he looked at his sister, trying his best to ignore Barnes, who was standing beside Steve. "It better be good because the quicker we get going the quicker we can get them back."

Ana glanced at him before she heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face. "We're going to need a few more hands for this one." She dropped her hand and glanced at her brother. "Unfortunately, that means you won't be able to help in quite the way I had originally planned."

His mask slid away from his face and revealed the deep frown that played across his features. "I'm not just gonna sit back and do nothing while my godkids are out there," he said, his hazel eyes blazing with indignation.

Ana turned and walked toward her brother, waving a hand between them. "You and I signed the Accords. The Avengers cannot be seen doing anything outside of the law. You are now the legal face of the Avengers which means you especially _cannot_ be seen doing anything that may jeopardize your position. It's just what Betty's father would be waiting for. After what happened back there, I realized I can't allow you to put yourself at risk like that. Your judgement was…" She hesitated, swallowing back the words and slowly shook her head. "Steve, along with the others, are now fugitives and we know it was all because of a very well planned and elaborate scheme to corner us. If we are seen putting one more toe out of line the Avengers are _done_. I can't let anything happen to you. I already lost Bruce and my children are gone because of my mistakes. I _can't_ lose you too!"

Her last words ended with a choking sob, her shoulders trembling from the effort of pushing back the emotions threatening to spill over. Tony studied her, his frown easing as he took a step forward and reached out a hand to gently chuck her under the chin. "I get it kiddo… It's ok…"

Ana looked at him as she reigned in her emotions, pushing them back and down; now was not the time. "I am not asking you to do nothing. I am asking you, for just this once, to take a step back from the spotlight and help from the sidelines."

Tony's gaze flicked between hers as they studied one another. A moment passed before he gave a nod. "All right… For you, I can do that." He chucked her under the chin again before he took a step back. "So, what's your play?"

Ana smiled at her brother, gratitude and relief evident in her gaze. "I need your help to distract the eyes and ears. You're good at drawing attention; I need you to take advantage of that and keep Ross busy. Whether he knowingly took part in this or not, we can't risk him getting in the way." She looked at Steve and Barnes, who had been watching the siblings with quiet attentiveness while the two had been speaking. "My mother and I survived during our travels because the group she founded to protect me were the best of the best and my aunt was unmatched in her skills. We stopped doing a lot of what we did after we met the Avengers because we thought it was safe." She frowned at that as she turned back to her brother. "Now with the Accords signed, we're going to have to go back to the old ways. It's going to be the only way to get Luc and Beccie back. I can't risk doing this on my own. Failure is not an option so we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I am good at distractions…" said Tony as he gave a small smirk to Ana, understanding what she was getting at.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" asked Steve, a slight smile appearing on his lips as he studied her, catching on to what her plan was.

"You're going to be a fugitive," she said, glancing at the Captain. "We won't be able to erase that from the public record but I promise you, if you and the others can help me get my babies back, Jenn and I will help you."

The Captain's smile had grown at this; the fact that Ana was willing to help not only him but his best friend spoke measures. He gave a nod in agreement. "Consider it done."

Tony frowned at this, his gaze landing on Barnes, but said nothing. He had let Ana down already; he didn't want to let her down a second time so soon, especially when his godchildren were in danger. He hated the thought of letting Barnes get away with anything but if the super soldier was willing to risk himself to help the Captain save the twins, Tony could look the other way… for now.

"I don't know about the rest of you but it is freezing out here," said Barnes as he looked at Steve. "How about we get this plan started?"

"I'll contact you once everything is ready," said Ana as she glanced them. "Lay low until I come for you."

"Yes ma'am," said the Captain with an amused smile before they turned and headed back to their respective Quinjets. There was a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time and they had wasted enough time…

-o-

After discussing the details of Ana's plans on the way back to the compound and rehashing on a few parts for it to be more effective, the next course of action was all set. With a quick hug and a good luck, Tony had leapt from the back of the Quinjet and made his way back to the States while Ana flew on.

Now, a few hours later, Tony was back at the Avengers headquarters in upstate New York.

He was anxious and agitated, for very good reason, but he could not let it show. He could not let anyone know outside of Jenn and Vision what was truly going on. If they truly had a leak somewhere, if there was a traitor, every source of precaution had to be taken. He was trying his hardest to resume some sort of normalcy to keep the suspicion off.

At the moment, it was maintained that Ana was on lockdown at the headquarters due to the recent fight at the airport. Jenn had used her wonderful programing skills to create some very realistic surveillance footage of Ana being escorted by Vision emerging from the private jet, taking a car to the compound and then being shown to her new bedroom, where she remained under watch. The footage was maintained on the Avengers mainframe so it could be pulled up at any moment should anyone question Tony on her whereabouts. A cover story if there ever was one but it was necessary to keep Ana from being listed as a fugitive should her plan fail.

Jenn was adamant that things would work out fine.

She had been working in her private lab down in one of the sublevels and monitoring all of Ana's actions from her secure network. She would be acting as the guide for Ana's team when the time came for the rescue, much as she had for Sido way back when. Tony had been down there initially, hovering over her, until Jenn had finally asked Vision to take him back to the main level as he was distracting her from her work.

So, he was now helping Rhodey with his physical therapy, tentatively walking beside the parallel bars while Rhodey did his paces. He was decked out with specially made leg braces that Tony designed. They offered structural support while allowing Rhodey the range of movement he would need to build his strength back up. While Rhodey was doing his paces, Tony was talking about adding some enhancements to his braces. He had initially offered to make him a set of legs that were like Jenn's suit had been, giving him the ability to walk. Rhodey had declined, stating he wanted to work on getting his legs back on his own before resorting to such an option. So, the braces were agreed upon and, while hashing out ideas for improvements during paces, a cup holder attachment had been Tony's final idea.

Rhodey had laughed and advised about adding a potential AC unit for down below when he misjudged a step and went tumbling over. Tony had gone to help but Rhodey waved him off while telling him not to. With a breath, he turned himself over and eased himself to sit on the floor. Tony kneeled down beside him while Rhodey started to tell Tony about the total number of combat missions he had done and how any one of them could have been his last one. He did admit that his current predicament was a bad beat but he still believed they did the right thing by signing the Accords.

Knowing what he knew now, Tony couldn't say he completely agreed anymore. Corruption had taken root in even the noblest of intentions and there was nothing that could be done about it now that the ink had dried. Instead, Tony reached out and helped his best friend get back to his feet. It was one of the moments in which he wished Bruce was still around to offer his cautious advice. He had been the one part of their family that had made it complete. With all of them together, it felt like there was nothing that couldn't be done. With him gone, everything just seemed to fall apart...

A knock on one of the large windows of the gym caught their attention and both men turned to see that an elderly gentleman decked out in a Fed-Ex uniform was standing there. His Fed-Ex truck was parked on the driveway behind him and he was squinting down at the package in his hands, trying to read the label despite the pair of shades that rested on the bridge of his nose. "Are you Tony... Stank?" He looked up at Tony expectantly.

"Yes," called Rhodey as a look of slight annoyance crossed on Tony's face. "This is- this is Tony Stank! You're in the right place!" A chuckle was threatening to break through as Rhodey continued. "Thank you for that!" He focused his attention back on Tony. "Never dropping that by the way." He slapped a hand on Tony's shoulder before he turned and started to limp off. "Table for one! Mr. Stank, please by the bathroom."

Tony let out a bark of laughter as he turned to look at his best friend. He shook his head, deciding to let Rhodey have his moment, and went over to meet the Fed-Ex guy.

-o-

In his office, he sat at his desk and ripped open the package. He pulled out an envelope with his first name written on the front of it. There was no return address anywhere on the package or the envelope. It was not sealed closed.

Opening up the envelope, he pulled out a letter that was in the Captain's handwriting. In it, he expressed his regret of not telling Tony the truth of what had happened to his parents, how the Avengers were more Tony's team than his own, and that he wished that they could have agreed on the idea the Accords represented. He hoped that, though the team was not as it was, they were in essence still together. This mission that they were on would prove once more that all differences of opinions and beliefs could be put aside for the common goal even if it meant hiding in the shadows this time...

Tony picked up the box, feeling something bouncing around in it, and held it upside down. It was an old prepaid flip phone, all black and innocuous. He looked back at the letter and finished reading Steve's words.

_We're on our way to grab the others. By the time you get this, the mission will be underway. I'll make sure we'll get this job done and I promise I will make sure everyone gets home safe. If you ever need us again, if you ever need me... I'll be there._

Tony stared thoughtfully down at the phone, having expected a message of some kind from Ana but not from Steve. It was an ingenious way of getting it to him to avoid any prying eyes. It was also an opportunity for the Captain to express what wasn't able to be addressed back at that HYDRA facility. He could never forgive Barnes for what the super soldier had done to his parents but he could let it go for now. His parents were long gone but his sister and godchildren were still very much alive. He had to do what he could to get them all back and if that meant working together in the meantime.

Well...

So be it.

The light on his desk phone blinked and FRIDAY's voice emerged from the speaker. "Priority call from Secretary Ross. There's been a breach at the Raft prison."

A slight smirk emerged as he stared at the phone. "Yeah, put him through." He paused a moment, his hand hesitating before he reached over to click on the line.

"Tony, we have a problem," Ross' voice began.

"Oh, please hold," Tony said.

"No, don't-"

He clicked the line, watching the little light blink, and he had to chuckle. The first part of the plan was kicking off without a hitch. Now, it was his turn to do his part...

-o-

The first sign that something different was happening were the lights in the main area of the holding cells had flickered and then went out. Save for the emergency red lights and the fluorescent lights in their cells, the power had been cut everywhere else.

Sam Wilson had been pacing his cell when it all happened and he paused, turning slowly around to look out his cell door. There was nothing but darkness save for the red emergency lights that were blinking along the walls. Yet, after a moment, he could see the silhouette of a tall, broad shouldered man coming from out of the darkness. A light smirk touched his features as he turned around to face the cell door, seeing Steve appear under the bright light up his cell.

"Hey Sam," said Steve. "Ready to get out of here?"

Sam let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "Took you long enough," he said in reply as he walked up to the cell door. "What's the plan?"

Steve looked around at the cell door before he took a step back and turned around to look behind him. "The cells have their own separate power source," he said to someone in the darkness, who it was Sam couldn't see. "You think you can knock it out?"

Whoever it was in the darkness didn't say anything to the Captain; instead they stepped up to Sam's cell and glanced around at the door. Sam could see the person was short but it was hard to tell if they were a man or woman from the bulkiness of the dark clothes they were wearing. They had on a black mask that covered their entire face and when they reached into a pocket, Sam could see they wore gloves. The mysterious person had pulled out some flat gadget, small and silver, with a few buttons on it. They reached out to put the gadget right beside the cell and it stuck itself to the wall. Looking around at the other cells, the person seemed to be seeing something that they couldn't. They turned back to Steve and gestured to Sam, waving their hand back and forth before pointing out to the others.

"Ah, ok," said Steve before he turned his gaze to Sam. "You might wanna take a step back," he said before he turned around to look at the others. "Get away from the doors!"

The others looked up and were quick to scramble away from the doors, Wanda and Pietro having a little more difficult time because they were in black and red restrictive garments that kept them from moving and using their abilities. Once everyone was out of the way, the person had turned their attention back to the gadget and pressed two buttons. A few seconds later there was a high pitched whine and the walls surrounding the cells began to vibrate. The lights in their cells flickered while a shower of sparks erupted from the doors before everything blew out and they were surrounded by near total darkness.

The others didn't hesitate to get to the doors, with the power out the doors slid open and the rest of the Captain's team had arrived to meet in the middle. Wanda and Pietro were struggling with their restraints as they got to their feet and the person who had gotten the doors open rushed over to them. Wanda hesitated but the person didn't say a word to her as they went behind her. There was a click and a tug and the metal device around her neck fell away. The restrictive garment came next and soon Wanda was free. The person was quick to move over to Pietro and remove his restraints, the metal devices around his ankles falling away. Once that was done, the person turned away and headed over to the Captain, waving their hand toward the exit.

"Got it," said Steve as he nodded. "And their gear?"

The person gestured to follow them before turning and heading off.

"All right guys, we got only a little time before the power kicks back on so let's go!" The Captain turned and followed the same path the person did, the others quickly falling into line and heading out after them. A few twists and turns in some corridors and they found the person Steve had been following working on a panel to a door. The door slid open and the person took a step back, pointing inside. Steve nodded before he turned back to his team. "Your gear's in here. Suit up and let's get the hell out of here."

The group didn't need telling twice and within five minutes everyone was geared up and running down the deserted corridors.

"Where is everyone?" asked Scott Lang as they raced down another corridor and emerged into what looked like a cargo hold.

"Locked down a few doors, knocked them out, kept them busy," said Steve as he followed the person passed large pallets and toward a far wall. The person didn't hesitate as they reached the wall and pushed against what looked like a sealed doorway. The door gave way with a large hiss and it fell downward on a pair of hinges, a fierce wind blowing in from the opening and the smell of salty sea air burning their nostrils.

"Now what?" asked Pietro, staying close beside his sister.

The sound of a jet engine had answered his question and the sight of jet materializing from out of thin air caught their attention. The back hatch of the jet opened up and Steve's mysterious friend didn't hesitate to make a running leap and jump over the gap. They landed on the edge of the hatch before turning back around to gesture to them to hurry. The person then turned and hurried inside the jet.

The rest of them didn't hesitate on their part and quickly followed after.

Once everyone was safe inside, the back hatch closed and the jet took off, disappearing from view.

Inside the jet, the Captain's team could see someone in the pilot's seat as they all made their way further in. Steve himself didn't hesitate to make his way over to the pilot and slap a hand down on his shoulder. "I see you got the controls down."

Bucky Barnes had turned his head up to look at Steve, a slight smirk touching his features. "Not too difficult."

Sam Wilson, now decked out in his Falcon gear and looking a lot more relaxed then he had been in the last few days, made his way over to Steve. "Dude, you have no idea how good it is to see you." Steve turned to him and they reached out to shake each other's hand.

"I couldn't let you all rot in there," he said as he looked at the others. "And we're needed for a mission. From the sounds of it, we're the only ones who can help."

"What mission?" asked Clint as he looked over his bow and arrows for any damage.

"Search and rescue," said Barnes as he set the jet on autopilot and turned his chair around. "Our benefactor needed help and promised once the mission is complete, we go free."

"Who is our benefactor?" asked Scott as he glanced over at Steve's strange companion, who had taken a seat in a far corner.

The person had pulled off their black gloves, revealing small hands with a single gold band on the left ring finger. They reached up to pull off the black mask and a mane of short copper brown curls erupted before falling into place around a familiar face.

"Ana?" Clint asked in surprise as he set his bow behind his back.

Wanda took an involuntary step back, her residual fear of the woman still strong. She had raised her hands on instinct, a spark of red glowing light erupting while her twin took a step in front of her. Ana glanced at Wanda and the look on her face was so strained and tired. She didn't acknowledge the obvious defensive gesture; she didn't blame the younger woman at all.

Scott, not knowing who it was that was sitting in front of him, leaned over to Sam. "Uh… who's she?"

Sam let out a chuckle as he glanced at the other man. "Remember that raging fire monster that flung that giant fireball at your head?" Seeing the blank look on Scott's face, Sam rolled his eyes and pointed at Ana. " _That's_ Mrs. Hulk."

Recognition dawned on Scot's face as he looked at Ana. "Holy shit! You're pullin' my leg! _She's_ the Hulk's wife?!"

While this was going on, Clint had wandered over to Ana and kneeled down in front of her, seeing the strain on her face. He had only seen this same look once before and that had been with Bruce when Ana had been in that coma. "Ana, what's going on?" he asked with concern as he took her hand in his. "You went through a hell of a lot to get us out and Tony's not here… Something happened."

Ana looked at Clint and a soft smile touched her lips as she squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry about what happened to you and the others. I'll make it right for you…" She took in a breath as she closed her eyes. "Everything that happened was a distraction. The Life Foundation took Luc and Beccie."

Clint's hold over Ana's hand tightened as the look in his eyes hardened. "Where did they take them?"

"We have an idea. It's some facility in the Mojave desert," said Steve as he looked at the others. "That's where we're headed so if you decide against helping, let us know now. Bucky and I already agreed to assist."

"I'd understand if you don't want to help," said Ana as she looked particularly at Wanda and Pietro. "Regardless of what you choose, I will help you stay off the grid. You are not going to be caught again; I'll make sure of it. I just… can't do this on my own and with the Accords, Tony's hands are tied. I just need your help for this mission to get my son and daughter back."

Silence fell amongst the group before Clint was the first to answer. "You know I'll help Ana. Can't blame you for being loyal to your brother."

"I will help," said Wanda after a moment, her gaze on Ana as she lowered her hands. She had seen the truth in Ana's mind when she spoke and Wanda could say she was not heartless. Helping a mother find her children was important, regardless of the past they shared. "If you will allow it, I will help you get the twins back. I can sense your link to them. It will be easier if there are two minds that can follow it."

Pietro had relaxed from his stance the moment his sister made her choice and he folded his arms across his chest. "Where my sister goes, I go."

"You can count me in Cap," said Sam as he gave a nod.

"Well… shoot, I'll help," said Scott as he shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

Ana looked at the group of people around her and the look on her face had gone from strained to hopeful. "Thank you…"

-o-

The Mojave Desert was vast and searching for some clue of an underground facility –especially at night –was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, the group had two very strong magnets on their side and the closer they got to their destination the stronger the mental links were becoming. Wherever Ana's family was, they were definitely being held at this location.

The surrounding area was familiar to Ana and the closer they got, the more agitated she became.

"Here," said Wanda as she pointed out toward a lone mesa in the distance. "The sources of the links are here."

Barnes maneuvered the jet to land down on a somewhat level patch of ground not too far from the mesa, keeping the stealth mode on. Everyone was suited up and ready to go but Steve had paused to look at Ana, his concern clear. "You're planning on going _code red_?"

Ana looked at the Captain as she gave a nod, the look on her face grave. "There's no question and I know the risk but don't worry – Cin knows who the enemy is. We have too much at stake to lose this right now." She then reached up to tap on her choker and the hologram of Luc and Beccie popped up in between them. "This will kick on if I flare too hot. Fall back plan Bruce had in case he and Tony weren't around to calm me down. You always keep a level head Steve so I'm counting on you to help me out."

"Smart man," said Steve, a sad smile touching his face before he reached out to place a hand on Ana's shoulder. "You can count on me… We'll get them back, I promise."

Ana nodded, grateful for the Captain's help, before they left the jet to join the others outside.

Not knowing for sure where they were going, they had fallen to Ana and Wanda's lead as they made their way toward the lone mesa. By this time, Ana already knew where they were going and she led them straight to a set of metal doors that were hidden in plain sight within a crack against a stone wall. "Here. This is one of the ways in… _Tante?"_ She called, placing a hand against her ear. "It's the old facility for sure. Would you-"

The doors suddenly started sliding apart with a rusted groan; evidence of the fact the place still had power.

"Be on your guard," said Ana as she let the way in. "I don't know what we'll find…"

The team followed Ana into a large metal corridor that went off straight before turning sharply to the left. The fluorescent lights along the walls were working and lit the way. Ana continued on without pause, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. The others followed after her. They continued down the corridor, turned left at the corner and found themselves at an elevator. Again, Ana didn't hesitate as she lifted the gate and stepped onto the elevator, waiting for everyone to get on, before she punched he button to go down, sliding the gate down.

"What the hell is this place?" Scott asked as he looked around.

"A lab of sorts… It's where I was kept as a child," said Ana and left it at that. Wanda's face had turned a sickly pale color as she looked at Ana, catching glimpses of the other woman's memories of this place.

The elevator stopped with a shudder before Sam reached out to pull the gate up. They were cautious as they all emerged into another large corridor, this one leading off to the left and right. Things were a little quiet…

Wanda reached out and placed her hand against Ana's bare upper arm. The connection was all they needed and the faint echo of a link they had both sensed erupted. "This way," they both said at once before running off to the right, the men having no choice but to follow.

"Here," said Wanda as she and Ana stopped in front of a thick, metal door.

Ana reached out to touch the door, trying to get a feel for who it was. It was neither her children nor Erai, this connection was new…

"It's Betty," Ana said, her voice filled with awe as she stepped back away from the door. For Betty to have grown a connection to the family without Ana knowing meant that Erai had established it. A mate bond…

She looked up and around, recognizing the door and where it led to. "We have to get this open. It's one of the containment rooms they used to keep me sedated in between their experiements. This one is not connected to the power grid, just heavy locks."

"I got it," said Clint and he motioned for everyone to move out of the way before he pulled out his bow and docked one of his arrows. He took aim and fired, the arrow splitting apart and sticking into the metal of the hinges and edges of the door before it started to beep. Clint turned and ran after the others just as the arrow exploded, blowing the door clean off its frame. The door had shuddered from the explosion and let out a groan as it fell forward and landed with a loud bang to the floor.

"Who needs a key, right?" Clint said with a smile as he glanced at Ana. She smiled back at him, glad he still had his sense of humor even in such a strange situation.

Not hesitating, the group hurried back to the open doorway that was still wafting from the smoke of the explosion. Ana was the first to step inside before the smoke had cleared and she looked around. She barely had the chance to turn around before someone had barreled into her.

"Ana!"

Her arms went around the taller frame of Betty and relief flooded through her at seeing her friend alive. "Betty, thank god!"

The other woman was hugging her tight. "I knew you would come! I could feel you coming closer. It was faint but…" She pulled away from Ana and glanced over Ana's shoulder. "Did you find Luc and Beccie? Ray? I can't sense them."

"Not yet, but we'll find them." said Ana as she shook her head. "Do you remember anything from when you were kidnapped?"

Betty shook her head. "They came at night. They were too quick and quiet. Caught us off guard. They managed to shoot Ray with something to knock him out before he could change. They knocked me out while I was trying to get the twins out of the house. The next thing I know, I wake up locked in this room. I haven't seen or talked to anyone else."

Ana nodded as a frown touched her features. "We think there's been a traitor in our ranks… We'll worry about it after. We're going to find Erai and the twins and get the hell out of here." She took Betty by the hand and they left the room, the others had been lingering around the doorway allowing the two women their reunion.

Betty was looking a little worse for wear, her blouse and jeans dirtied and ripped in places, but didn't look hurt. She had glanced curiously at the others, her eyes growing wide when her gaze met Captain America's. After a moment, she decided now was not the time to be in awe of a super hero and looked at Ana. "Can you sense the twins? I can't feel them too well…"

Ana gave a nod as she looked at Betty, a real smile touching her lips. "So I noticed… Congratulations by the way."

Betty blushed at that but said nothing else, much to the confusion of the others.

"I can sense your link with them further down," Wanda said, pointing down the corridor.

Ana turned her gaze to follow where Wanda was pointing and she nodded before once again leading the way, the others falling in line behind her. Ana knew this facility but she hadn't seen a good portion of it until Sido had helped her escape so there were twists and turns to this place where they could get lost. Jenn was remotely giving instructions on the layout of the floor they were in so they knew which corridors to avoid while they followed Ana and Wanda.

After twenty minutes, they emerged into a cavernous room that was housing some type of large equipment with glass containers. A glass walled room could be seen jutting out from the metal wall straight ahead, an observation room. The large room was dark compared to the rest of the facility and Ana was growing tense.

Something was off…

"They should be here," said Wanda, looking around at the darkness that covered nearly everything.

Suddenly, with a loud hum from what sounded like generators being kicked on, the group were nearly blinded by lights that erupted from all around them. They covered their eyes while the sound of laughter emerged.

"Bravo," A male voice said, his voice coming from the PA system that was set into the walls. "You made it." The sound of clapping could be heard and the group glanced up to see that someone was in the observation room. A rather strange looking man…

He was a small and assuming man and would have been considered normal if not for the green tint to his skin and his enlarged head that was supported by a metal brace on his shoulders. He had a sort of crazed smile of delight on his face. "You have no idea how excited I am to finally be able to meet you." His gaze was on no one but Ana.

Ana was confused beyond reason.

She had no idea who in the hell this person was.

However, one person in the group had managed to recognize this man despite the mutation he possessed. Betty Ross voiced the name of this person with profound confusion and utter disbelief. "Dr… Sterns?"


	93. That Manic Smile

_What kind of love brings such confusion?_

_Shuts out the sun and kills all glee_

_What are these blues we're here to tell you?_

_It's sibling rivalry…_

**Sibling Rivalry** – The Simpsons

-o-

Chapter 93: That Manic Smile

That manic smile was what set everyone on edge as the strange man with the enlarged head focused his gaze on Betty. "Dr. Ross! You're looking good! These last five years have treated you well."

Betty could only shake her head in response, simply dumbfounded at who it was that was in that observation room.

"Dr. Ross, do you know this man?" asked Steve, taking a step forward as he carefully placed himself at the head of the group, his shield at the ready. The others had taken to slowly moving out to scan the cavernous room for any potential threats. With all of this large metal equipment and glass containers, there were a lot of hiding spots.

"His name is Dr. Samuel Sterns," said Betty as she took a step closer to Ana, reaching out to place a hand on her upper arm. She was very worried. "He'd been the one who had initially helped Bruce in trying to find a cure for… for going green. Over five years ago, Bruce and I were on the run from my father and we made it to Harlem to meet with Dr. Sterns. We thought he'd managed to find a cure… After dispensing what we thought was a cure, we found out he had synthesized Bruce's blood in large quantities. The General's men had arrived right at that moment and captured us. I didn't know what happened to Dr. Sterns after that…" She stared up at Sterns, her frown of concern clear. Whatever had happened to him, it had changed him into something that was definitely not human. It was at that moment that the large doorway behind the group closed up, a thick metal door sliding down into place and locking them in.

" _Tante_?" Ana called to her aunt but there was no response from Jenn from the comm.

"Oh, you're in my playing field now," said Sterns. "No outside help for you. No, no, I know all of your aunt's tricks. How do you think we managed to get your family in the first place? Can't have you cheating your way out of this one."

"He must've managed to block Jenn out," said Ana, feeling the worry beginning to rise. "She's not responding."

"We'll have to play this by ear then," The Captain murmured to Ana before he focused his gaze on Sterns. "Is this what this is?" He called out, "Another revenge story?"

"I've had all I could take with these vengeance stories," muttered Barnes as he kept a rifle aimed at the observation room.

"There he is," said Sterns as he focused his gaze on Steve. "The original super soldier. What an honor it is!" He let out a laugh as he leaned forward over what looked like a console of some kind and raised a mocking salute, his enlarged head straining against the metal brace that supported it. "Look at you all! Super heroes all together for the common goal of saving the day." His laughter had faded to a chuckle. "You're right; it was for revenge Captain Rogers… At first. Over five years ago, Dr. Ross brought to me the most incredible case my scientific mind had ever had the chance to study. Everything that happened that day changed my life, as you can see." He gesture nonchalantly to his head. "Then SHIELD came along to clean up the mess Banner and Blonsky left behind, which included me. They didn't see the beauty my enhanced intellect now possessed and instead locked me away like some sort of animal. That's where I stayed stewing and planning until that fateful day over three years go… The Life Foundation found me when they were looking into Banner's past. I'd spent the first two years slowly gaining support and winning favors, not hard at all really. I then started the first phase of my plans to get revenge on Banner and General Ross but during that stage of my research I learned about you." This last part he said to Ana, reaching out to point to her.

"You, my dear, are the most fascinating being I had come across so far! And I've seen Banner change up close. The elusive experiment 01- no data of any kind left, only hand written accounts and word of mouth after your 'mother,'" he raised his hands to make the gestures of quotation marks, "and her sister completely wiped the Life Foundation's mainframe of you and took you away to parts unknown. When on the rare chance you were found, it led to death and destruction." He laughed again. "Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was not Dr. Ross here who had managed to tame the beast in Banner but you! Oh, well I had to learn all I could about you but you were protected. Well protected… So I waited and bided my time while working on making Secretary Ross dance like a little puppet to help my plans along. That man will do anything for power..." He sighed at that, looking as if he were exasperated with the whole thing. "Then, over a year ago, something went loose from the Avengers Tower and it had left the opening I'd been waiting for. I slipped in undetected to even your 'aunt's' keen eye. I learned not only everything about you, Banner, and the Avengers but about the children you and Banner conceived. Children that by all scientific knowledge should not even exist! And yet-"

"Where is my brother? Where are my babies?!" Ana cried out as she moved forward but was held back by Steve, who had reached an arm out to keep her in place. They didn't know what threats were waiting for them. The longer they could keep this Sterns talking, the better chance they had at flushing out any potential traps. The others were already spread apart and only Steve, Ana and Betty were huddled together. Ana could feel the heat building up in her as she snarled; she was trying so hard not to lose control. Cin was beyond pissed. "If you harmed them, I swear-"

"Relax Mrs. Banner," said Sterns as he reached out push something on his console. "Though your children are quite the little curiosities with their own unique abilities, I am a scientist with limits." With a groan and a shudder, something began to rise from the floor straight ahead of them and directly in front of the observation room. It was a glass container with a metallic lid and base, just like the others around them, but this one contained the small forms of Luc and Beccie Banner. They were huddled in the middle of the glass container, hugging each other, while their cries for "Mama! Daddy!" could be heard. It was such a heartbreaking sight and sound that it would make anyone's protective instincts react.

"See? Safe and sound."

Their mother was no exception and as soon as she caught sight of her children, she lunged forward, trying to break Steve and Betty's hold on her without harming them. Her crimson veins were already glowing with suppressed heat.

"You see," began Sterns as he ignored the emotional display of mother and children. "I've always been more curious rather than cautious." He reached out to touch something else on his console. "At first my entire plan had been for revenge but then I learned about well… all of you. I got curious and wanted to see what would happen if I managed to poke and prod in just the right ways."

"Ross and Zemo," said Steve, a deep frown splayed across his features. "We know all about it."

"I know," Sterns said, "Or else you wouldn't be here. I really need to give Treece a bonus… Anyway, I had left a few breadcrumbs to see if something bigger would bite but alas… Banner didn't show. So I went for bigger bait and he still didn't bite. He really is gone isn't he?" He looked at Ana and smiled, a look of glee appearing at the pure rage that was on her face. "But you Mrs. Banner, you took the bait and I can still satisfy my curiosity with you. You see, when my team had managed to capture this male- a true blooded alien." He flipped something else. "I knew next to nothing about the alien merged with you so here was one I could study… I was curious about what made the alien tick, all that power and the rage that could erupt. The ability to immerse itself into another living thing…" He reached out to something else and made a turning motion. "So I did a few tests. I wanted revenge but now… I just want to see what will happen. In the name of science…"

With another groan and a shudder, another glass container began to rise from the floor in the middle of the room, the sound of deep snarls and roars could be heard. The container was in the between Ana's group and the children, a rather convenient placing. Inside the container, Erai was in his enraged form – ten feet tall and crimson skinned – and was slamming his head against the glass, a look of mad rage on his face as his glowing yellow eyes searched the immediate area. Spittle was flying from his mouth as he raised his clawed hands and struck it against the glass, a spider web crack forming from the blow. There were several other cracks just like it all around the container.

"Oh no," Wanda said as she took an involuntary step back, the sudden onslaught of rage hitting her like a freight train. She held a hand to her head as she looked up at Sterns. "What did you do to him?"

"Ray!" Betty cried out, her distress quite clear.

"All in the name of science," said Sterns as he smiled. "I wondered what the result would be if you could block certain signals in the brain while agitating others. I would like to test my hypothesis and what better way than with all of you super heroes." He pressed another button and Erai's container hissed before a part of the glass began to slide away. "I know this is as cliché as it gets - believe me I've read more than my fair share of Captain America comic books - but I can't wait to see the results of this test…" With that, Sterns pressed something else on his console and he faded from view in various shades of blue light: A hologram.

-o-

This wasn't what Ana had planned for when she recruited the others to help save her family. She knew it was a possible trap but not like this: Cin's twin being used as a weapon. She could sense that her link with Erai was all wrong - she couldn't feel any of his emotions. The link was there but it was as if something were blocking it. He was in a mindless rage and he was too close to Luc and Beccie.

"We have to get the twins out of here," said Ana as she pulled herself out of Betty and Steve's hold. "Erai has no control over what he is doing." She looked at Steve, her gaze pleading. "We have to do something!"

A deep roar echoed around the cavernous room as Erai struggled to get out of his container, the glass nearly shattering under his touch. It was made to contain something like him but on a slightly smaller scale.

"Don't worry Ana, we'll get them out," said Steve as he glanced at Ana, trying to keep her as calm as possible. He glanced over at the Scarlet Witch and raised his shield to get her attention. "Wanda, can you get in his head?"

"No," said Wanda as she kept a hand against her temple, a look of deep concentration on her face. "There is too much rage... I can't get a hold of anything."

"We need to distract him while we figure a way out of here." Steve turned around and glanced quickly around the large room, seeing what it held and who was where. His mind working quickly, he placed a hand against his helmet to turn on his comm unit. "Sam, Clint, I need you two to find a way to get that door open. Lang, I need you to shrink down and find a way into that glass container and get it open, get the twins out. Wanda, do what you can to get keep Erai's attacks from getting too hot: containment, barriers, _anything_ you can think of to keep the heat away from the others. Pietro, keep Betty away from the line of fire as best as you can, move her once the door is open." He glanced at Ana and the look of regret touched his features. "Ana, I'm gonna need you to go Code Red… Cin and I will need to keep Erai busy, keep his focus on us. I need Cin to get close and figure out how to calm Erai down."

Ana looked at the Captain, the worry and panic clear on her face. She could only nod in reply to his request, seeing as there really was no other way to get Betty and the twins out of harm's way. They had to get Cin's twin to calm down while the others could find a way to escape. Drawing in a breath, she reached out and placed a hand on Steve's forearm. "I trust you to keep my family safe. If Cin can't get Erai to calm down, you have to get everyone out of here."

Steve frowned at that, noting that she did not include herself and Erai, but the sound of glass shattering and a roar of rage cut off any protest he may have had. They looked to see that Erai had finally broken free of the container and was standing at his complete height of ten feet. Behind him, the screams of fright from Luc and Beccie could be heard; having never seen their uncle up close in his enraged form before. Ana didn't hesitate as she turned away from Steve and started running forward, her crimson veins glowing with thermal energy as her body popped, stretched and changed into Cin's raging form. She let out a scream of rage, catching Erai's attention from the twins behind him, and bared her claws, her clawed feet digging into the floor.

Erai growled, seeing the other raging monster but not recognizing her in his mad rage, and started running toward her and away from the twins.

That was all the others needed and they all ran into action, following through with the Captain's orders.

Cin snarled and ran toward her twin brother, her heart aching at the thought of having to fight him. She dodged a swipe of his claws and dropped down and swung her legs out, kicking his legs out from under him. He fell down on his back with a shuddering thud as Cin quickly moved over to wrap an arm around his neck and put him in a choke hold. She wrapped her legs around his torso, keeping his arms pinned while she searched for something around his neck and head, anything that seemed out of place. There was something in him blocking his mental links with his family and mate and causing this mad rage. He roared as he struggled against Cin's hold, his rage building. He snarled as he leaned his head forward and back, butting the back of his head against her face. The sound of bone crunching and her howl of pain meant he had broken her nose and she had loosened her hold on him.

He broke free of her grasp and got to his feet only to stumble forward when something sharp had banged against the back of his head. He turned around, growling, as he caught sight of Captain America catching his shield, which had ricocheted back to him. He turned, a ball of flame erupting from his clawed hand and let it loose. It went flying toward the Captain only for it to be engulfed by a red, glowing light. It hovered there in front of the Captain before it turned and flew up toward the ceiling, exploding on impact. The large room shuddered from the hit.

"I got 'em!" came Scott's voice through the comm as he could be seen running along the edge of the large room, darting between the large machinery and empty glass containers to avoid the fight. The twins were in his arms, still crying, as Cin and Erai had clashed in the middle of the large room. They had almost hit Wanda as she struggled to keep a barrier up around the two raging monsters. They were both starting to heat up and Steve had no choice but to get the hell out of the way as they fought.

Pietro had sped to a stop beside Scott and took Beccie in his arms to help the other man before racing off to Betty, who was hiding behind a machine by the locked door. The moment Beccie saw Betty, her little arms reached out as she cried for her mama. Scott came to a stop a moment later in front of Betty with Luc and Luc did the same thing, the three year olds knowing that their mother was there. Betty shushed them as she held them close, looking at the men with gratitude at having save the twins.

A huge shudder rumbled across the floor and walls and they all looked to see that Cin was pinned against the far wall by Erai, his claws stuck deep in her torso. The inhuman roars and screams was terrible to the ears as thermal energy began to build up around them, waves of heat slamming against Wanda's barrier. There was a loud bang and with a shudder the large door to the room began to slide open until it stopped at a crack, just tall enough for a regular human to crawl through.

"We gotta move now Cap!" said Sam through the comm. "This door ain't gonna hold!"

"But Ana, Ray!" Betty cried, holding the twins close as she watched Cin kick out against Erai, his claws ripping form her torso. She was a bloody mess as she pushed away from the wall and bore her claws, her arms trembling. Erai had a good three feet on her and he was stronger than her but she was determined to make sure the others get out safely. She had an idea but she couldn't pull it off until everyone else got out to safety. Sensing the distress from Betty and her children, Cin braced herself as Erai let out another roar and ran at her.

" _GET OUT!"_ she cried as Erai's swiping claws nearly found there mark by her neck. She reached up and caught his wrists, holding his attack back. " _GO!_ "

"Everyone, let's go!" Steve called, intending on keeping his promise to Ana, as he took Wanda by the arm and started pulling her toward the exit. The others were quick to follow though there was some hesitation, especially from Betty, who was downright screaming they couldn't leave Ana and Erai behind. She didn't have much choice and soon everyone was ducking their way under the door and back out into the corridor. Scott was the last one to make it through when the door groaned and slid down shut, locking the raging monsters inside.

The sound of their roars and the shuddering of the walls and floors was a sign that Cin and Erai were now going all out in their battle. The Captain hurried everyone back through the corridors the way they had come in, determined to get the hell out of there.

" _Steve?! Ana?! Can you hear me?! C'mon, answer!"_

Tony's voice had crackled into everyone's comm units and the Captain couldn't help the relief at hearing the billionaire's voice. "We're here Tony! We've got the twins and we're on our way out! Stand by!"

Back in the large room, Erai had Cin pinned down to the floor, his claws stuck deep in her back. She was coughing up blood and her right eye was bruised shut, the damage she was receiving too much for her healing factor to catch up. Erai had removed his claws from her back and bent down to pick her up before slamming her back down on the floor. He did this several times, over and over, before he finally dropped her on the floor and reached out to wrap a clawed hand around her neck.

Cin coughed and gasped as she reached up to wrap her hands around her brother's wrist, her glowing yellow eyes staring into his. She was waiting for this and took the advantage. She didn't know what would happen, she didn't know if Ana would make it through this all right, but Cin had to try in order to save her brother. Something was in his head that was making him rage out and she was going to get it out.

With a weak snarl, Cin's hold on her brother's wrist tightened and her crimson veins began to emerge through her skin and latched onto her brother's. Her veins began to glow a deep red light as the connection was made…

-o-

Steve Rogers was nothing but focused as the group all emerged from the elevator and ran up the corridor toward the exit.

The facility was beginning to rumble and shake, a sure sign that whatever was going on down there meant this place was coming down because of it.

"Keep going!" Steve shouted to the others as he took up the rear, making sure no one got left behind. Pietro had already taken the twins from Betty and had sped out of the facility. Within a heartbeat, they piled out of the metal doors and kept running to the jet that was in the distance. The stealth on it had been shut off and the back hatch was wide open. The ground beneath their feet began shake as a sudden earthquake erupted and Steve knew it was no natural earthquake. They had all managed to get onto the jet and Barnes had threw himself into the pilot's seat, hitting various switches as the craft powered on and the back hatch closed.

They took to the air without a moment to spare as the ground started to crack and shake, magma pooling up from below. The stone mesa the facility was built under suddenly split in half and explosion of lava, ashes, and dust was thrown into the air.

The jet was already far enough away to avoid the hit but Betty's cries of "No!" broke the silence that had fallen around the group.

They flew around the destruction as the lava continued to flow from the mesa and down to the ground, the stone mesa slowly sinking into the ground as the facility caved within itself. There was doubt amongst almost everyone that Cin and Erai would have survived that…

Luc and Beccie's cries for their mom and dad broke the silence and Wanda and Betty held them close, shushing them gently as Betty's tears fell…

"You have got to be kidding me," said Sam as he leaned over Barnes' seat, looking out the windshield. "Cap, I think you gotta see this!"

Nearly everyone had gotten up from their seats to crowd around Barnes as he flew over the pool of lava that was once the stone mesa. Emerging from the mix of molten rock, their body emitting a deep red and orange glow, a very tall form was slowly moving along the flow, making their way toward the edge. It was hard to make out who it was but judging from the height it might have been Erai.

If that was so, than Cin had lost…

The lava flowed away from the tall form and started to harden into black rock, the heat and fire being absorbed by the being until all that remained was a black landscape. Once the heat and fire had died down and the lava had turned into hot rock, the being continued to walk until they reached cooler ground. Then they began to tremble and shake until the tall form started to separate into two smaller forms, residual lines of veins and flesh lingering between them until it was absorbed back into their respective bodies. They were both completely nude, one male and the other female.

"It's them!" Betty cried with excitement, recognizing the two. "They made it!"

Ana and Erai were in their calm forms, staring at one another, before they both trembled and fell to their knees before keeling over in a dead faint.

"Bucky, head back around. Let's grab 'em and get them home."

The relief was palpable as Barnes piloted the jet to go and land as close as possible on safe ground. The mission was completed.

It was time to get the family back home…

-o-

"Sir, they made it out to the surface," a man said as he turned in his chair to look at Dr. Samuel Sterns, who had been monitoring the entire thing as it played out.

He had to admit, he had not been expecting that result from this test, but he couldn't say he was disappointed. It had been a fantastic display.

"Do you wish to continue pursuit?"

Dr. Sterns shook his head as he sat back in his chair. "No… I have all the data I need. The Banner twins had provided more than enough genetic material to get things started. Let's fall back completely. This part of the plan has been a roaring success." He chuckled as he stroked his chin, watching the satellite footage of the jet flying off…


	94. The Cool Air

_Just when things went right_

_It doesn't mean they were always wrong_

_Just take this song and you'll never feel_

_Left all alone…_

**Home Sweet Home** – Motley Crue

-o-

Chapter 94: The Cool Air

The cool air blowing against her heated skin was the first thing to register with her waking thoughts, a steady breeze that carried the scent of clean cut grass. The sound of voices registered next though they sounded muffled and distant, as if on the other side of a door. She carefully opened her eyes and let out a soft hiss against the stabbing pain in her temples. She had a serious headache…

It took a moment before she felt strong enough to turn her head, catching sight of multiple large windows that spanned the width of the grey wall to her right. The closest one to her was open and it looked out to an expanse of green grass and a familiar grey building. She could see a Quinjet rising into the air, hovering slightly, before it turned and took off.

She felt a little strange, as if something was connected differently in her brain, which might explain the headache. The last thing she could recall was changing into… herself? No, that wasn't right. That part of herself was called Cin, she knew that as much. Yet, why did it feel so strange thinking of her other self as a separate person? She knew her name was Ana and that she was the calm side to things... Most days. She took in a breath as she closed her eyes; it hurt too much to think…

The sound of a door opening caught her attention and she opened her eyes once again to see Tony walking in, his face strained with worry but at seeing her awake, the worry gave way to naked relief. He hurried over to her side and reached out to brush the copper brown curls from her face. "Thank god… I was beginning to think-" He bit back the words and shook his head as he leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. "You scared the shit out of me again, Ana. You need to stop doing that."

Ana blinked in response to that, feeling the link between them and Tony's agony over nearly losing her and the twins spilling across. She carefully reached up, her hand trembling, and placed it gently against his stubbled cheek. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice a hoarse croak. "Are Luc and Beccie ok? Is everyone…?"

"Fine," he said as he reached up to give her hand a squeeze. "The twins are in the next room with Betty. Erai hasn't woken up yet but shouldn't be too long if you're awake now... Everyone else had gone, went under the radar... Jenn's had to bring everything offline and rebuild from the ground up. After we learned that this Sterns character had been hacking into our systems and could beat Jenn at her own game, she's been working relentlessly to get everything secure again."

"Oh, she must hate that," said Ana with a soft smile, wincing slightly as her headache pounded. "Ow… How long have I been out?"

"Two weeks," he said as he pulled away and straightened up. "You and Erai have been asleep, healing from whatever the hell you had done." He frowned in concern as he studied her. "Cap said you brought the entire facility down along with the desert around it. You hadn't done that since the HYDRA base way back when. And he said you merged with Erai. I didn't even think that was possible for more than two minds to merge… What the hell happened down there?"

Ana didn't say anything at first; she blinked and then frowned, trying to think. Now that Tony had mentioned it, she could recall some memories from her other self. Very distinct and clear memories that were nothing at all like the flashes she was used to. "Erai had something imbedded in him; a metal device that was drilled into the base of his skull. It was... responsible for him raging out, some kind of electronic disrupter. He would've killed everyone... I had to-" She caught herself and shook her head. " _Cin_ had to get it out somehow. There was no way we could get him stay still long enough to dig it out so… I – _she_ – merged with him to initiate a change and accelerate his healing." She reached up to place a hand against her temple. "We had to burn hot. Hot enough to get rid of everything. The only way to do that was combine our strength. I - Cin - felt it was the only way. She was too weak to do it on her own and thought it worth the risk." She looked up at her brother and a sad smile touched her lips. "Sorry to say the choker didn't make it…"

Tony waved it off and shook his head. "I can make a better one. Good learning curve at how hot you really can burn," he said as he crossed his arms, leaning slightly forward to study her. "How's your brain? A little all over the place? You're sounding a little off."

"I feel… different?" she said as she rubbed her temple. "More… connected if that makes sense. There's still something between Cin and me but it's more like… the surface of a pool rather than the wall it had been. It's not as solid so things feel a little more… together."

"Well, we're gonna get you checked out, make sure everything is in working order." He frowned at her as if daring her to say otherwise. "You are on strict bed rest."

Ana could only smile at him. "Sure big brother, whatever makes you happy." She let out a sigh and gave a slight wince, her head pounding up a storm. "Since I'm on bed rest, I could go for some painkillers. And can I see my children? I'm concerned that Sterns did something-"

The overprotective look on Tony's face faded away to one of understanding. "Luc and Beccie are fine. We had them checked from top to bottom as soon as you all were brought in. Aside from a few bumps from the escape, they're perfectly healthy and unharmed."

Ana frowned at that, knowing how thorough her brother could be. "It would make me feel better to see them for myself."

He smiled at that, not faulting her one bit as he gave a nod. "Sure, gimme a moment, I'll bring 'em in." He leaned down and chucked her under the chin. "I'm glad you're alright, kiddo," he said before he took a step back and made his way out of the room.

Once he was gone, Ana sighed and carefully got herself into a sitting position. She turned her attention to the open window, finding the cool breeze rather soothing. Her thoughts went back to everything that happened; what an ordeal it all had been and all because of someone from Bruce's past once again coming back out to haunt them. It couldn't happen again. She needed to find a safer place for her family to live. Somewhere that didn't have a chance of being compromised. Technology had failed her in this case and she did not want to make that mistake again. But what options did she have...?

The sound of something sizzling caught her ear and she frowned as she turned her attention to the air above her. Yellow sparks were spinning in midair, a small display of something that reminded her of fireworks. It went on for just a split second before a small hole opened up and a piece of paper fluttered down to land on her lap. The small hole in the air had closed, the shower of sparks fading from view.

Ana blinked, wondering what in the hell she had just witnessed. The piece of paper was real enough. It was slightly yellowed and dried, looking like parchment now that she got a closer look. Being careful, she reached out to grab the piece of paper and turned it over. It was a note, the handwriting cursive script in ink, that stated an address: _177A Bleecker St_.

The address was as innocuous as one could imagine. It could mean any street in any city anywhere. And where the hell did it come from?

The sound of the door opening had Ana tuck the note under her blanket; she was going to have a hard time explaining how she got a hold of a piece of parchment when she had been unconscious in bed for two weeks. She would have to look into it a little bit later when she had a moment alone...

"Mama!"

The sound of Luc and Beccie running into the room brought a smile to Ana's face. Her son and daughter had jumped onto her bed and crawled their way over to her. The moment they reached her, Ana had wrapped her arms around her babies and held them close, kissing them on any place she could reach. "My sunshines... Oh my sweethearts..."

The little boy and girl, who were resembling their father more and more as time passed, had reached out to snuggle into their mother's arms. Their mental links with one another reaffirmed itself and the family let out a contented sigh as they basked in the warmth their telepathic link brought.

"Ana, I have someone else here to see you," said Tony as he entered the room and stopped just short of the threshold. Ana and the twins had looked up just as a familiar redhead carefully made her way into the room.

"Pepper?" Ana asked, her surprise quite genuine.

The CEO of Stark Industries had given a shy smile as she stopped beside Tony, giving a tiny wave. "Hi Ana... Tony told me what happened... I had to come see you and the twins." A look of regret and sadness touched her pretty face as she took a step forward. "I'm so glad everyone is all right."

Well, of all the things she could have imagined, having Pepper walking through that door was not one one of them. Ana glanced at Tony and could see that sparkle was back in his hazel eyes as he glanced at the woman beside him, the one that had been missing for quite some time.

After everything they had gone through, Ana - being all the wiser- turned her attention to the redhead and simply smiled. "It's good to see you again Pepper..."

-o-

_A few weeks later_

_Greenwich Village, New York City_

Ana climbed out of the cab, staring up at the multi-story townhome in front of her. It was an older building like the others that surrounded it with a very unique looking window set in its top floor: a round window with curved window panes that looked like it formed a symbol of some kind. She glanced down at the piece of parchment in her hand and read the address: _177A Bleecker St_.

She had managed to track down the address to this particular area of New York City and she couldn't help but feel as if this was some kind of wild goose chase. Yet, whoever or whatever had sent this, had very unique talents to have sent the parchment through a wormhole of some kind. She had not let Tony, Erai, or Betty know of it. She had this feeling that whatever this was had meant the message for her and her alone. Her family had been in danger too many times and she wasn't going to let it happen again if she had anything to say about it. This being knew where her family was and she would be damned if she allowed them anywhere near her loved ones. She would ensure to bring hell down on them should they be a threat...

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Ana stepped onto the curb and quickly made her way up to the double wooden doors. An old bronze sign was nailed to the side of the door with the address proudly displayed. Taking in a breath to calm her nerves, she reached up to knock on the door. As soon as her hand touched the wood, there was a strange swooping feeling all around and within her.

The next moment, she found herself standing in an entryway with a grand staircase before her. She immediately went on guard, her crimson veins glowing with thermal energy, as she went into a defensive position.

"Do not worry, I will not harm you," a deep voice spoke from above her and she looked up to see a tall Caucasian man levitating himself down from an upper story. He had dark hair with white at the temples, piercing blue-green eyes and a goatee that could rival her brother's. He had a deep red cloak around his shoulders and it fluttered as if it had a life of its own.

"Forgive me if I don't quite believe you," said Ana as she watched the strange man gently land in front of her.

"After all you had been through, I don't blame you," he said as he took a careful step forward, his gaze focused on the visible crimson veins in her neck before flicking up to her eyes. "Anamaria Banner, wife of Dr. Bruce Banner... Erin, descendant of the Olympian Lytta and mate of the Hulk... My name is Dr. Stephen Strange and I'm here to offer my assistance."

A slight frown twitched on her face as she shook her head. This man, literally named Strange, called Cin by her true name and ancestry... That information was not known outside of the family. She snarled, a flash of a yellow glow showing in her deep brown eyes. "How do you know that name, Wizard?" Ana asked, her voice a husky tone as Cin's consciousness slipped through the fluid, clear wall between them with ease.

Dr. Stephen Strange gave a smile as he noted the distinct change that had occurred, his medical interest peeking. He wondered what her brain activity looked like... Ignoring the medical curiosity, he simply gave a gentle bow, trying to ease her tension. "It was a matter of fulfilling a request, Mrs. Banner, that I know your names. Nothing more. Considering who had asked me, he was the only reason why I had sought you out."

"Who?" Ana asked, her defenses rising even higher.

Dr. Strange raised a gloved hand, once more trying to ease her. "Odin of Asgard."

"The All Father?" Ana blinked in surprise. She had not been expecting that answer. In fact, there was a lot about this visit that she hadn't been expecting. She eased a little from her defensive position but her rage was still bubbling beneath the surface. "Tell me, what does Thor's father want you to do with me? I haven't heard anything from Asgard since..." She shook her head, memories of a happier time threatening to come forth. "Why would Odin care now?"

"He is in a vulnerable position at this time. He was very clear that he did not wish to be disturbed so I will not violate his request in explaining why he has reached out to you only now. He specifically asked that I help you because he had sworn to protect you and yours. He feels he had failed you yet again and wishes to rectify that. After learning about you, I agreed to his request."

Ana frowned at this, the words this Dr. Strange spoke indeed sounding like the All Father. A moment passed as they stared at one another before Ana finally relaxed, the heat that had been building within her simmering down. "So... Dr. Strange, how do you intend to help my family and me?"

Dr. Strange smiled as he studied her. "Have you ever heard of the Mystic Arts, Mrs. Banner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the events of Doctor Strange happened at the same time as Civil War. Let’s just say for this instance the events for Stephen Strange happened earlier in the timeline since this story is AU to hell anyway. Lol


	95. A Shot of Vodka

_Take me someplace new_

_Where I can be what I should be_

_But it will take so many years_

_For me to go…_

**Someplace New** – Montys Loco

-o-

Chapter 95: A Shot of Vodka

A shot of vodka was a good way to end the day. Of course, he was working on his fourth shot and it wasn't the end of the day, more like twelve o’ clock noon. Jazz music was playing softly in the background and the day was sunny and bright.

The mission had been a success and he had just received a significant bonus in his off shore account from the Leader. Things were looking quite lucrative for him.

Roland Treece was lounging in his Manhattan penthouse that overlooked Midtown. His large windows had an excellent view of the skyline though the Avengers Tower was a bit of an eyesore. He had heard through his contacts that the building had found a potential buyer and they were in discussions with Stark Industries for pricing. Maybe the new owners would demolish the hideous thing or at least renovate it so it didn't look like such tacky architecture…

The sound of sizzling coming from a few feet behind his armchair didn't register with his drunken mind. He had been about to take a sip of his vodka when the next moment he was gasping for breath, his shot glass falling to the shiny wooden floor below to shatter into pieces. Something strong had wrapped around his throat and it squeezed, the heat that emanated from it making his skin raw and causing it to blister.

"Mr. Treece," said a hiss of a voice just by his ear as he continued gasping for breath. "I have been looking forward to meeting you… We have much to discuss…"

-o-

When Ana had returned to the Avengers headquarters later that afternoon, she was greeted by Happy, who was looking particularly harried. The look of relief on his face was palpable once he caught sight of her and he had walked briskly to meet with her. He reached out to grab her elbow and started guiding her deeper into the building.

"Where have you been?" he asked as he led her up a flight of steps. "Tony's been worried. You kept your phone off, why would you-"

Ana pulled him to a stop and gently eased her elbow from his vice like grip. He stopped beside her and looked down at her expectantly. She couldn't help the affectionate smile that tilted up the corners of her lips as she folded her arms. "Deep breaths Happy, I'm fine. I had some things to take care of and didn't want anyone tracking my movements." She tilted her head, noting the strained look on his face. "Happy, _se détendre_ , I'm ok. What's going on?"

"Secretary Ross is here looking for you," he said in reply as he took her once more by the elbow and starting pulling her. "Tony's been stalling him but he can't keep him busy all day."

Ana sighed and shook her head, allowing Happy to have his way and take her to the conference room. "How fortuitous... Let's see what the Secretary wants this time," she said as she reached into her pocket for her smartphone, hitting the button to power it back on.

"…I don't care if you think she had nothing to do with it Stark! You get her the hell in this room now!"

The booming voice of Secretary Ross was the first thing to reach her ears when Happy opened the door to the conference room. The sight of him standing nearly nose to nose with her brother was what set her on defensive mode and she had to do a mental countdown to keep her temper from rising.

"It would seem Mr. Ross that your blood pressure is a little too high at the moment," said Ana as she walked into the room, Happy lingering in the doorway uncertainly. "I know a few techniques that could help with that." She came to a stop beside Tony as she gazed up at Ross, a relaxed smile on her face.

"See?" said Tony as he gestured to the short woman beside him. "All accounted for." He glanced down at her, his hazel eyes studying her as his worry traveled through their link. She reached out to place a hand against his bicep in a comforting gesture though her gaze remained on Ross.

"So what is it that I can help you with Mr. Ross?" she asked.

Ross turned his glare her way as he raised his hand to point a finger at her. "Where did you put her? Where did you take my daughter? I know you had something to do with her disappearance. She was watching _Banner's_ spawn so I know you're responsible." He leaned closer, his tall form and demeanor intimidating if he were speaking with anyone else. "I swear I will bury you in a cage so far under the ocean if I find anything-"

Tony had moved to stand in between the other man and his sister, his hazel eyes as cold as ice. "You see Ross, that is where I draw the line," he said, catching the other man's gaze. "You can speak to me however you like, I really don't care. But _don't_ threaten my sister and don't insult my godchildren… Got it?"

Ross glared at the billionaire as he straightened, eying Tony with dislike. "Betty disappeared over a month ago. Her home had been ransacked and the other house she was seen frequenting had been demolished by some unknown party." He turned his attention to back to Ana. "There's no trace of her and I know you had something to do with it."

Ana studied the older man, seeing the righteous anger in his blue eyes, and she could see that it had nothing to do with his missing daughter. It was the fact that someone had went right under his nose without him knowing about it. His pride was struck, his sense of ego at risk, perhaps his love for his daughter was there but it was secondary to all else: His control over all he saw fit.

"Happy, would you mind leaving the room for just a moment?" said Ana as she kept her gaze on Ross. "Mr. Ross, would you tell your man to give us some privacy as well? There are some things we need to discuss."

A muscle ticked in the older man's jaw as he stared at Ana before turning his head slightly to the guard behind him. "Leave us."

The man who had been standing quietly in the corner of the room moved away from the space he had been occupying and walked over to leave the conference room. Happy waited until after the man left before he glanced behind him at Tony and Ana, closing the double doors behind him. Once they were alone, Ana moved away from the two men and went to take a seat at the conference table. "Now Mr. Ross, here is what I understand," she began as she clasped her hands on the polished surface of the long, wooden table. "Over five years ago, after choices you had made and actions you had taken had placed your daughter in terrible danger, she had made an explicit request that - other than in a professional setting - she did not wish to speak with you. Ever." She could see the anger in his eyes at this, she honestly couldn't care less. "Now, your daughter is once again missing and you once again forgo taking any of the blame and instead look to someone else to lay blame for your mistakes."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" he growled, his patience wearing thin.

Tony had moved to lean against the wall, his hazel eyes filled with curious amusement as he folded his arms across his chest. He knew his sister was up to something and decided to step aside and let her have her fun.

Ana reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out her phone, she tapped away at the screen for just a moment before a ping could be heard coming from Ross' pocket. Still glaring at Ana, Ross pulled out his own phone and swiped the screen before glancing down at the message he received. He frowned as he opened up the attachment to the message and starting swiping through. He looked at Ana, his anger growing. "What in the hell is this?"

"That," said Ana as she gestured to his phone, "is documentation that had been in the possession of one Mr. Roland Treece. I suppose he would have been using it for leverage for himself. It is clearance for a facility known as DUSEL - or the Homestake on unofficial levels - where one Emil Blonsky and Dr. Samuel Sterns had been held. A clearance that had been given by you. An associate of Treece had been given this clearance, a Dr. Parsons of the Life Foundation. After paying a visit to the Homestake a few years ago, both Blonsky and Sterns had disappeared from their cells with no trace to be found…" She smiled; it was a cold smile that did not reach her eyes. "The rest of that documentation is of funds being received by you from Mr. Treece to an off shore account as payment for overlooking some military equipment that had gone missing over the last few years."

Ross' hand was clenched tightly around his phone. "That is - You…" For the first time in his many years, Thaddeus Ross had been rendered speechless. "These are forged, there's no way-"

Ana continued to smile as she rested her chin against her fist. "Whether they are forged or not is of no consequence Mr. Ross. Those documents will be more than enough to place you under suspicion and an internal investigation will follow. I wonder what they will find."

Ross hesitated at that, his blue eyes blazing as he glared at the woman in front of him, knowing she spoke the truth and knowing he was now backed in a corner. "What do you want?"

"Stay within your role Mr. Ross," said Ana as she tilted her head, studying him. "You will retain your power and prestige, all that you hold dear will stay the same. These documents will never see the light of day." She straightened then and slowly leaned forward, a sweet smile on her face. "Try to threaten me and mine ever again and you will find that things will get unpleasant for you very quickly. Leave your daughter alone. Leave my family alone. Do this and you will be better off in the long run… Do we have an understanding?"

Ross let out a huff of an agitated breath, his hatred clear, but he didn't speak against her request. He only angrily stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Mr. Ross…" Ana waited expectantly, her deep brown eyes bearing a flash of a yellow glow.

"…Fine," he growled out after a moment.

"Wonderful," said Ana, her smile turning bright as she clapped her hands and got up from the chair. "Well, if that will be all, I have some things to take care of. Have a good day Mr. Ross."

Ross glared at the woman, unable to come up with a retort of any kind. Instead, he turned away, glaring at Tony as he did so, and stormed out of the conference room.

Once he was gone, Tony let out a whooping holler of laughter as he doubled over, trying to breathe. "Oh Ana," he gasped as he straighten up, wiping a tear from his eye. "That was the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. You, my dear sister, have done this old man proud." He was still chuckling as Ana turned to face him. "How in the hell did you come up with those? Are they genuine?"

"They're genuine," said Ana as she slipped her phone back in her pocket. "A new friend helped me to acquire those. I knew Ross was going to try something so I needed leverage…"

"A new friend, huh?" Tony asked as his smile slowly faded. "Is this new friend who you went to see this morning?"

"Mm," was all Ana gave in response as she nodded. She sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead. "I wasn't kidding when I said I had a lot to take care of… Do you have time to walk with me?"

"Always for you," he said as he moved over to the doors and opened them, waiting for Ana to walk through first. "What's on your mind?"

Ana took the lead and Tony followed along to fall into step beside her. Not too far behind them, she could hear the heavy footsteps of Happy bringing up the rear. She smiled at that, always finding his lingering presence comforting. They had walked through the building, making their way through corridors as they passed other agents, before they found themselves in the residential area. Coming to a stop, Ana turned to look up at her brother as she started to twist her wedding band. "I found a place for everyone to stay off the radar," she said, her fingers twisting and twisting her band. "It's safe and completely hidden from any prying eyes. I wanted to let you know we're going to be moving within the next few days."

A frown twitched on Tony's face. "Wouldn't here be better? Where Jenn and our team can keep an eye on Betty, Erai, and the twins?"

Ana gently shook her head. "I can't take that risk… You saw what happened with Ross back there. Who's to say he won't find some other way to use the twins to get to me? He can waltz into this compound whenever he sees fit." She sighed as she glanced down at her wedding band. "I can't risk having Luc and Beccie getting caught up the middle of some mess again. I'm sorry Tony but I can't."

His lips thinned as he took in a breath, more than likely biting back some words. He raised his head to look skyward before he started to snap his fingers and clap a fist against an open palm. "Ok, I can respect that… Where are you taking them?"

"I can't say," said Ana and she nearly winced at the frown on his face as he looked back at her. "It's that far off the grid Tony," she continued as she raised her hands in a calming gesture. "I can always bring the twins by to come see you, outside of this place, but I can't say where they're going. That's how secure it is. I am not going to risk their lives again…"

He studied her as he stopped snapping his fingers, his hazel eyes unreadable. "…Ok…" he said after a long silence, "Ok…" He sighed and nodded. "I trust you… but you gotta promise to bring them by when I ask."

"Promise," said Ana, a relieved smile replacing the tension on her face. She sighed as she moved over to wrap her arms around his waist in a hug. "Love you big brother…"

"Hm, yeah, yeah… Love you too kiddo," he said, giving her a quick squeeze in return. "So, you said something about finding a place for them. Don't think I didn't miss that part. Where are _you_ off to?"

"I have some soul searching to do," she said with a smile, knowing Tony would have caught onto that but hoping he would have missed it. She pulled away to look up at him. "I'm going to be staying in the city while I do some research on a few things so I won't be far if you need me but... I can't stay here."

"Hm," he gave a nod, his hazel eyes flicking between hers. "Have you told Jenn the news?"

Ana's frown was deep as she shook her head. "Not yet, I will tonight after I speak with Betty and Erai."

"Good luck with that one," he said with a wide grin. "After that, you got a place in mind for yourself? With Avengers Tower being under contract, I can have one of my other places freed up for you."

"I need someplace small, something that will be easily overlooked," she said, staying a little vague. "So I don't think any of your places will work. It doesn't matter where I am. As long as I'm in the city, anywhere I can hide in plain sight, I'll be fine with. I can get to where I need to go without hassle."

Something sparkled in Tony's eyes as he listened to Ana, an idea taking hold. Yeah, it could work. He could keep an eye on his sister, have her close, and also have someone whom he trusted - who wouldn't be busy as Happy- to keep an eye on _him_ …

"Actually, I think I gotta place that will work great for you if you don't mind working on a little side project for me. It'll help Happy out too," he said as he glanced back at Happy before looking at her, seeing her questioning gaze.

He gave a wide smile that was all teeth. Ana could admit it was that smile that often made her uneasy in the past. Yet, this was Tony; he wouldn't ask anything of her that was too out of line... Most times.

"How would you feel about Queens?"

-o-

_A week later_

_Queens, New York City_

Peter was busy swiping through his phone, checking his text messages with vain hope. It had been a month and a half since the Berlin fight and he hadn't heard a single word back from Happy Hogan regarding a new mission. He was still donning his Spider-Man persona after school and on the weekend, all in the pretense of doing the Stark Internship.

Today had been a quiet day in the neighborhood, not much was going on, so he had decided to call it an early day and head home.

As he was getting off the elevator on the seventh floor, he was surprised to see a couple of moving men making their way in and out of the apartment to the left of his. He didn't realize that they were getting new neighbors; he didn't even realize the previous one had moved out. As he watched one of the men struggle with getting a bed frame through the apartment door, he unlocked his own front door and made his way inside.

"Hey May, I'm home," he called out as he made his way to the kitchen to drop his book bag.

"Hey, how was the internship today?" he heard his aunt call from the living room and a smile quirked the corner of Peter's lips up.

"It was a little slow," he said as he turned around to look at his aunt. "They said I could head home early so-" He paused as he noticed that someone else was sitting with his aunt on the sofa.

It was like a sense of déjà vu except it wasn't Tony Stark who was sitting beside his aunt.

A little flutter of excitement hit him as he felt the air leave his lungs in a _woosh._ "Mrs. Hu- Ah, uh," He caught himself as he ran a hand nervously through his brown hair. "M-Mrs. Banner?"

The woman he knew as Mrs. Hulk, who he had last seen as a raging monster who had flung a giant fireball at a giant man in Berlin, was sitting on his aunt's couch with a cup of tea in her hand. She had a delighted smile on her face as her deep brown eyes gave a flash of a yellow glow, which he caught and his excitement grew. "Hello Peter," she said. "It's good to see you again."

"Ana's our new neighbor!" His aunt was smiling, her delight obvious of having another single mother living next door.

"Wh-what?" Peter managed to get out as he looked at Ana.

" _Oui,_ " said Ana as she let out a soft laugh. "I'm going to be taking a break from work, starting some studies of my own here in the city. I don't know many people outside of Stark Industries. Then I remembered you and your lovely aunt lived here so…" She raised her hand and gave a tiny wave. "Here I am. We're going to be working together from here on out so you'll show me around the neighborhood, right?"

"Y-Yes ma'am," he said as his heart gave an excited jolt. Mrs. Hulk was going to be working with him!


	96. Excited Wasn't the Word

_Two partners went in search of gold_

_As friendly as could be_

_One was young and one was old_

_And the gay young fool was me…_

**Partners** – Jim Reeves

-o-

Chapter 96: Excited Wasn't the Word

Excited wasn't the word he would use to describe how he was feeling right now.

Anxious, nervous, nauseous…

Yeah, those were perfectly good words to use.

Peter Parker was waiting for school to be over, watching the clock as the minutes ticked by slowly. He was in his last class for the day and he couldn't wait for it to be over. Today was the day that Mrs. Hulk was going to be joining him on his outing as Spider-Man. It had only been a few days since she had moved into the apartment next door so of course she had been busy with other things.

Yet, yesterday had brought another change.

He had come home that evening from his regular shift as Spider-Man, sneaking in through the window of his room. He had carefully shut the upper portion of his window with his foot, sliding it slowly upward, before he crawled across the ceiling to close the room to his door. He had carefully thrown his backpack with his suit in it at a corner and eased himself down from the ceiling, landing gently on the floor…

"Spyman?"

He jumped a good foot in the air and turned around to see a toddler sitting on the top bunk of his bed. It was a little boy with curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had a wide toothy smile on his face as he pointed at Peter with such excitement before he clapped his little hands.

"Spyman!" he said again as he giggled.

"Wh-what? Who…? Where did you come from?" He could only stare at the toddler as the little boy started to shift and then slide off the edge of the top bunk. "Whoa!" He rushed forward to snag the little boy before he fell to the floor, the toddler giggling up a storm as he held onto Peter's T-shirt.

"Again!" The little boy said with smile as Peter set him gently on the floor.

Peter looked at the child, wondering who he was and who he belonged to, before a knock on his bedroom door caught his attention. "Peter?" Aunt May's voice came in through the door and he turned around just as his aunt opened the door. "When did you come in…? Oh! You found Luc!" She smiled at the toddler before she turned around to yell out. "Hey Ana! Luc's with Peter!"

"Spyman!" Luc said as he smiled at May, his brown eyes bright.

Peter felt his heart drop and he quickly glanced at his aunt but there was no recognition on her face as she laughed at the toddler. "Oh, you are so cute but I have no idea what you're saying," she said just as another little person managed to squeeze their way past May and ran into the room. Peter looked at the other toddler that had joined them, this one a little girl with the same dark brown curls and brown eyes as Luc.

"Foun' you!" cried the little girl as she rushed over to the boy and wrapped her little arms around his neck. The little boy hugged her in return and Peter could see that they were twins.

"May turn?" asked the little girl as she looked at Peter's aunt.

"I don't know sweetie," said May as she laughed, clearing enjoying the toddlers. "Peter found your brother so I think it's his turn to play hide and seek." She looked at her nephew and smiled.

"Uh…" Peter stared at his aunt, completely caught off guard by the entire situation.

"Peter found Luc?" asked a familiar accented voice and Ana Banner appeared in the doorway behind May, a smile playing on her face. "Good job Peter," she laughed as she turned her attention to the toddlers. "Luc, Beccie, say hello to Peter."

"Mama, Spyman!" Luc said as he pointed up at Peter, his little face alight with excitement.

"Hi Peyer," said Beccie as she smiled up at the teenage boy and even Peter had to admit that, despite the strangeness going on, she was adorable.

Peter looked down at the three year old twins and realized who it was these kids were. They were the Hulk's kids… The children of the Hulk were in his home and playing hide and seek with his aunt. The Hulk's son just saw him crawling on the ceiling and knew who he was, though he couldn't say Spider-Man very clearly thank goodness. He wondered if it even counted since Luc was the son of two Avengers.

"Well it's getting late anyway," said Ana as she took a step back away from the door. "C'mon my sunshines, we have to get going."

There was a chorus of "Aww" that followed but the three year olds quickly turned to Peter and said goodbye, waving their little hands, before they ran out in a soft thudding of sneakers. Their giggles echoed behind them as Ana turned her attention to Peter. "Tomorrow Peter, after school, send me a text when you're heading to the office, I'll ride along with you.”

"Huh?" Peter replied with the eloquence of all his teenage years before realization dawned and his excitement sky rocketed. "Oh! Sure! I mean, I don't have your number…"

"I'll send it to your phone, I already got your number from Happy," said Ana with a smile before she turned to May. "Thank you for inviting us over May; the twins had a lot of fun."

"Thank you for bringing them over, they are too cute," said May, her smile was bright as she turned to Ana to give her a quick hug. "You have to bring them over again soon." She pulled away and glanced at Peter. "I got dinner ready; can you go set the table?"

"Yeah, sure thing Aunt May," said Peter as he watched the two women turn and leave his room, his aunt already planning on an outing to the park with the twins the next time Ana brought them into town. He smiled as he turned to look up at his top bunk where Luc had been; wondering if the three year old had been hiding under the sheets, when he noticed the hand rail had a perfectly toddler-sized hand print bent into the metal. His curiosity grew as he walked over to the handrail, reaching out to touch the imprint, and a soft "whoa" escaped him. Luc had managed to bend the railing, more than likely while climbing up to the top bunk. That little kid must've been strong to even do that… Well, Luc was the child of two Avengers; it shouldn't surprise Peter that the child would have enhanced abilities. He wondered what Beccie could do? How did Ana manage to keep them under control or at least keep them from being seen by others, like his Aunt? Oh, he was so curious now…

These thoughts continued to whirl in his mind as he left the room and went to set the small dining table with plates and cutlery. A ping from his phone caught his attention and he pulled it from his pocket. He swiped the screen and saw it was a message from an unknown number. Opening it up, the message read: _It's Mrs. Banner. Save me to your contacts. Sorry about the handrail. If you can't bend it out let me know, I'll get it replaced. Send me a message tomorrow once you start your shift, I'll find you._

Smiling as he saved the contact info in his phone under _Mrs. H_ , he pocketed his phone and continued setting up the table. Aunt May had walked into the dining room, her face still filled with a bright smile. "Those two kids have got to be the most adorable things to ever exist. I can't stand it. I wished they were next door so I could see them often."

"They don't live with Mrs. Banner?" asked Peter as he set the knives down by the plates.

May shook her head. "No, they're staying with their aunt and uncle somewhere upstate while Ana is doing her studies here in the city. They're just here spending more time with their mom before she starts her classes."

"Huh," Peter replied, finding that interesting. "What's she studying for?"

May made her way to the kitchen to get grab the lasagna she had warming in the oven, slipping on some oven mitts. "Oh… Ana said something about an apprenticeship? Something to do with the Arts but she didn't specify what. Maybe Theatre or something?" She smiled at Peter as she walked to the table and set the lasagna down. "I could see Ana doing something on Broadway."

Peter let out a chuckle as he went to take a seat at the table, trying to imagine Mrs. Hulk dancing around on a stage and doing jazz hands.

"All right," said May as she sat in her chair, pulling the oven mitts off and setting them aside. "Let's dig in…"

Peter had eaten dinner pretty quickly and couldn't sleep due to the excitement that the next day would bring. He went through the motions of his classes with anxiety thrumming his nerves and when the bell finally rang for the end of the school day, he bolted out of the building. Being careful to make sure no one saw him, he took a rarely used path to the fence around the school and leapt over it before going about his usual route home. He made it to one of his favorite deserted alleyways, took off his clothes, and quickly donned his suit with a relieved sigh. He stuffed everything in in backpack before setting the bag within some webbing against a dumpster. This was what he had been waiting for…

Shooting a web, he quickly slung himself up and climbed to the rooftops. He leapt over a few buildings before settling on the edge of a rooftop, pulling his phone out to shoot Mrs. Hulk a message that he was heading to the "office."

His phone pinged a moment later and he saw an emoticon with thumbs up, pulling a laugh out of him. Mrs. H seemed to be younger than Aunt May so it he shouldn't find so funny that she would respond to texts with emojis. He guessed it was because she was older, a mother, and an Avenger that he expected her to be more… adult.

"That must be something really funny you're reading if you're laughing like that," said a voice from just behind him.

He let out a shout in surprise and nearly fell off the roof but caught the edge just in time with his feet. He pulled himself up and glanced behind him to see Ana standing there with a cheeky grin on her face. She was dressed in a strange ensemble that was a skintight suit made of some dark reflective fabric that covered her from the neck down. Over it, she wore a sleeveless trench coat of the same material with a large hood currently down away from her face. Her short copper brown curls were pulled back into a bun. She was standing with her arms folded as she waited for Spider-Man to right himself.

"Mrs. H!" He said as he climbed back over the edge of the rooftop. "You scared the crap out of me… How did you…?"

"Tracked your phone signal," she said with a shrug as she reached back to pull up her hood. It completely hid the top half of her face from view. "Today I'm just going to watch you, see what your routine is. Just pretend I'm not here."

Uh," Spider-Man tilted his head as he reached up to rub the back of it. "There's going to be a lot of swinging around on the rooftops… How are you…?"

She reached up to touch the choker he had seen her wearing before and with a tap a blue electric light surrounded her before she started fading from view. At least until he saw the light that was bending and reflecting around her form as she moved.

"Whoa! That's awesome!"

"An upgrade from Tony," he heard her voice from the spot she was standing at. "To help keep the focus on you while you do your neighborhood watch. I'll keep up with no problem so don't worry. You just do what you normally do. We'll go from there."

"Yes ma'am!" he said as he lifted a hand to give her a salute.

"And call me Ana," she said, her voice sounding amused as he heard her take a step onto the roof's edge beside him. "We're going to be working together so I'd like it to be on friendly terms. No more Mrs. Hulk, Mrs. Banner or yes ma'am, ok?"

"Yes ma'am," he said before he caught himself and ducked his head down with an embarrassed chuckle. A thought hit him at that moment and he glanced back up at her. "You need a code name though right? Something I can call you that isn't tied to your Avenger name?"

She was silent a moment and he wondered if he might have overstepped some boundary before he heard her say, "Mrs. H will work fine. So, let's go Spider- Man."

"Cool," he said before he turned on his feet and shot a web out, excited at the new change of pace that Ana was going to bring. This whole thing was going to be so awesome…

-o-

_Two weeks later…_

It was a little over two months after the Berlin fight and as things will tend to do; change would come again for Peter Parker.

The last two weeks had been some of the most fun he had had since he started donning the persona of Spider-Man. Ana – or Mrs. H as he called her during their time working – made a great shadow and she was not kidding when she said she could keep up with his web slinging. She would get in a form she said was a blend of her raging side and her calm side so she could maintain control but still be able to use her enhanced abilities. She was not as strong as her full form but it was more than enough. She would grow to be a little over six feet tall and was very fast on her feet. With her enhanced strength she was quite adapt at leaping, climbing, and making her way around Queens as she followed Spider-Man. With her new suit, she was nearly invisible to the naked eye so it helped to keep the attention off of her in case any civilians happened to be keeping an eye out for him.

While this was going on, Peter didn't realize that Ana's raging form was a completely separate entity from her so as time went on he was starting to notice the distinct difference in the way Ana spoke and acted from when she was Mrs. H and when she was just Ana. It was very interesting and made things a little more fun when the afternoons and evenings were quiet. He noticed that Ana's other self had taken a liking to him and she was often laughing at his antics when he was fooling around. It felt good to have someone to talk to about his worries and concerns about being Spider-Man and his hope of being a full-fledged Avenger like her.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," she said to him that evening as a sad smile played on her face. It was after a long day of wandering about the borough: stopping a grand theft bike, a misunderstanding with the owner of a car and his neighbors, and helping a little old Dominican lady find her way. She was nice; she had bought him a churro. Other than that not much had happened which was why he and Ana were lingering around an old water tower watching the sun set.

"There will be risks involved and there will be times when you'll have to make tough choices," she continued. "It may not be something you'd want rush into if given the choice."

"But I feel ready for something bigger," he replied as he carefully balanced himself on a tightrope of webbing he had made. "I can handle it."

Ana watched him under the light of the setting sun, leaning against the old water tower that was on the roof they were occupying. "At this moment you do… but when it becomes a matter of life and death, either for yourself or for others, will you still feel ready? Will you accept the consequences of your choices if it came to that?"

He paused at that and turned around to look at her, the wide optics of his mask focused on her. "I… I don't know… What would have to happen? I mean the fight with Cap-"

"Was not a life and death situation," she said as she shook her head. "It was simply a fight amongst allies who did not agree with one another, not one in which someone was out for your blood." She sighed as she pulled off the hood of her coat and ran a hand over her head, a few stray curls breaking free. "All I am saying is to take your time. You have the choice so don't rush into it. Take this time to hone your abilities and get stronger. A lot of us didn't have the chance to do what you can- we were always in a state of constant fight or flight from the moment we were brought into this world. You're new to all of this so take my advice and keep training."

He nodded but didn't respond, more than likely mulling over everything.

She pushed off the water tower and gave a brighter smile. "I've got a quick errand to run so I won't be around for a little bit. If you run into any trouble you send me a text ok?"

"Sure thing Mrs. H," he said as he waved a hand in goodbye.

She pulled up her hood and waved back before tapping her choker and fading from view. He could see her distorted silhouette running away to leap off the roof before disappearing into the darkness of the alleyway below. He remained balanced on his webbing as he watched the setting sun, Ana's words still lingering in his mind...


	97. How Is Your Protégé

_I'm learning to fly_

_But I ain't got wings_

_Coming down is the hardest thing…_

**Learning to Fly** – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

-o-

Chapter 97: How Is Your Protégé

"How is your protégé?"

That was the first thing she heard as she stepped through the open portal and found herself in the entryway of the New York City based Sanctum Sanctorum. She couldn't help the slight smile that upturned the corners of her lips as she threw back her hood. The portal closed behind her with a flurry of yellow sparks before fading from view. Standing in the middle of the entryway was none other Doctor Stephen Strange, who had opened the portal for her when she sent word she was on her way.

"Hotheaded," she said in reply as she walked over to meet with him. "Eager, thinks he's invincible." She saw the small smile of amusement that Dr. Strange gave in response to that and Ana's smile grew. "But he has a good heart and means well. If he's willing to listen to advice, he may turn out to be quite the asset that my brother believes he could be."

"He's a teenage male, their record of listening to their elders are few and far between," said Strange as he turned on his heel and starting heading up the grand staircase, his deep red cloak fluttering behind him. "Believe me."

"If my brother hadn't asked me to help keep an eye on him, I don't doubt it," said Ana as she followed him. "I love my brother, don't get me wrong, but he has enough on his plate. I doubt he would've had the time to personally oversee the growth of a young enhanced."

"What about that other fellow you told me about?" he asked as he led the way through an area that housed old, magical relics in glass cases. He looked over his shoulder to glance at her. "What was his name? Smiley?"

Ana bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing. "Happy," she said, a small laugh still bubbling out of her. "Again, a wonderful man, good heart, but too busy to help keep an enhanced young man focused." She frowned lightly at this. "I don't think I would be the best choice either. A young man needs an older male to look up to, like Tony… I don't know if he'd take me seriously enough to listen to my advice."

"You're selling yourself too short," said Strange as he led her to a small sitting area and gestured for her to take a seat in a plush armchair. "You're giving him what he needs at this time: Focused attention and guidance in his choice to become an Avenger." He sat down in the armchair across from hers just as she took her seat. "It's something he can't share with his friends and family. If, as you say, Mr. Stark and Smiley are too busy to help him directly then he will look to you for guidance by default. You are an Avenger as he wishes to be. You are there in an aspect of his life where no other can be at this time. If he is as smart as you say, he'll listen to the advice you give."

"I hope so," said Ana as she tried not to laugh at the doctor still calling Happy by the name of Smiley.

"That's all you can ask for," he said as he steepled his fingers, studying her with renewed interest. "Now, I have spoken with your other brother, Erai, and he had given me a brief history of your people. Your people – the Lyttans – are one of two races that had guarded an Infinity Stone, correct?"

"One half of it yes," said Ana as she gave a nod. "The Reality Stone or the Aether. It had been entrusted to us by an Ancient One to protect it from those who sought its power. The other half had already fallen into the possession of the Dark Elves of Svartelheim eons ago before Thor's grandfather had claimed it and sealed it away."

"Until it resurfaced here on Earth a few years ago attached to a human woman named Jane Foster," said Strange as he gave a nod. "We have records of the incident from the London Sanctum when the Convergence had occurred. Now, from what I understand, the Asgardians had taken that half of the Aether from Earth to where, I don't know. What about the half that your people possessed?"

Ana frowned at that and gave a slight shake of her head. "Thor and Erai had used the Convergence to get our people out of that dark realm. The other half of the Reality Stone would have been given to the Asgardians for safe keeping. That's where our people currently are."

"What of the other race? The Pyragians? Erai had not given any details concerning them."

Again, Ana shook her head, the look on her face one of sadness. "They did not want to leave their home planet despite the fact that it was in a dead realm. They are currently there still there to my understanding. The Lyttans were the only one who felt the desire to be free."

"I see," he said as he nodded. "Your people's close proximity to an Infinity Stone such as the Aether has me thinking… But I'll need to do more research so we'll shelf that trail of thought for the moment. Right now, I'm interested in learning more about your people. I especially wish to learn more about you and your children. Your abilities to control thermal sources, to morph into a form larger, stronger and faster than your current form, to be able to physically merge with another living being." He paused and gestured toward her. "You are a perfect example: A hybrid. A human merged permanently with an alien being. It is this mergence that enables you to possess your enhanced abilities. Let's not get started on your children! The fact that they are the children of the Hulk and yourself is mind boggling to say the least. They are already showing signs of enhanced abilities at such a young age." He straightened up in his chair as he let out a huff of a breath. "I'll come back to the subject Luc and Beccie another day… At this moment Ana, I would like to study your abilities, see how they would affect and be affected by learning the Mystic Arts. I think it would yield interesting results."

They continued talking for the coming hour, going over what Ana had been studying from the books Dr. Strange had recommended to the subject of her mental state when going through the change from herself to Cin.

"Do you think I'm capable of controlling such forces?" she asked after their discussions had come to a close, her interest peeking.

"Your manipulation and control of thermal sources in your other form should answer that," he said but a smile appeared, a sparkle of something in his eyes. "I lost the use of my hands after an accident… It was the lowest point in my life… Yet the journey it had led me on had taught me the most valuable lessons so far and here I am still learning." He gestured to himself before gesturing toward her. "You will be able to learn and should hopefully gain control over those same abilities and more in your current calm state. It will take dedication, patience, study, practice and, of course, experimentation. Now, what you've been learning from the books these last two weeks we can start putting into practice. We can begin tonight if you feel up to it."

Ana was about to respond in the affirmative when her phone let a ping. She pulled out her smartphone and saw it was a message from Peter: _Spotted some robbers at a bank atm Mrs. H. Going to put a stop to it. Meet me there, I might need back up._

The rest of the message showed a GPS map of Peter's current location, which was about six blocks away from their apartment building. What great timing…

" _Et c'est parti,_ " Ana muttered as she put her phone away and gave Dr. Strange a smile as she got to her feet. "Can we resume this tomorrow? My 'protégé' just texted me. I better go before he gets himself into trouble. He's at a bank on 21st Street. Would you mind…?"

Strange chuckled at that as he made a circular motion with his gloved hand and a portal opened up off to her right.

" _Merci,_ " she said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow Dr. Strange."

"Good luck," he called out after her as she left through the portal.

-o-

Ana had emerged in a dark alleyway off of 21st Street. The sun had long since set but even in this darkness the city was thriving. She was quick to tap her choker as she drew her hood up, fading from view and blending seamlessly with the darkness around her. With a quick pull from Cin's consciousness, Ana shifted into her partial raging form as she ran out of the alleyway and out onto the street. She glanced around, getting a quick feel of her surroundings, when she saw the bank in question. Spider-Man was already engaged in a fight with the robbers – four men from the looks of it – and they were armed with tech that was not of earthly origin. One of the men had a type of ray gun with three separate modules that were glowing with some purple-bluish light. It had gravity-defying properties and the guy wielding it was currently using it to throw Spider-Man around the small entryway area of the bank. Loose bills were floating around with the teenaged hero as he attempted to get himself on solid footing. While this was going on a couple of the other men were on the floor, looking a little throttled but getting back to their feet. The final robber was getting to his feet while Spider-Man was busy with the man that had the anti-gravity gun. This man had another piece of tech and Ana didn't need hesitate to move and move fast.

She sped across the street, busted through the glass doors, inadvertently hitting one of the other men who had a semi-automatic rifle in his hands and knocking him out of the way. She pushed aside one of the other men to reach the one who had the unknown tech. In her focus to get to the man, she noticed that the robbers were wearing masks of the original Avengers. The one she was aiming for was wearing the mask of the Hulk. Her indignant rage blinded her for just a moment, the fact this robber was wearing a mocking face of her missing mate rubbing her the wrong way.

Meanwhile, the robber was trying to power up his tech, a pink-purplish light glowing from the center of the strange gun and sparks emitting from the wires connecting it, when he was slammed into with such force that he was thrown several feet in the air and broke through the glass window behind him. The gun that he had been trying to power up had been ripped from his hands and was sparking and gathering up energy, looking as if it were hovering in midair. Spider-Man let out a shout in warning as the gun let loose a beam of energy, tearing through the ceiling of the building. A split second later, a glowing heat emerged from the force that was holding the gun in place, barely straining against the force of the energy beam. The gun began to melt and warp in on itself, looking as if something were bending it, as the power source began to sputter and die. The beam of energy died off and the melted tech was dropped to the floor, a smoking, cooling mass of metal and wires.

Spider-Man had finished webbing up the robber who had the anti-gravity device and had hopped off the wall to land on the floor. "Mrs. H? You ok?" He asked as he stared at the spot near the melted tech.

There was no response and he saw that her silhouette had moved away and went to the robber that was lying on the sidewalk outside, his groans quite loud. He might have broken a few ribs from the force in which Ana had slammed into him but she didn't seem to care. Spider-Man watched as her silhouette had reached down to rip the mask off the man's face and took him by the collar of his coat. She dragged him back into the building through the broken window, not caring about the broken glass all around them. "Web him," he heard her say, her voice a husky growl, as she tossed the man to the ground beside the melted tech. She had crumbled the Hulk mask into a melted mass of plastic in her hand and tossed it beside the man.

The other two robbers had disappeared during the ordeal with the malfunctioning tech but the remaining two had been caught. They were webbed up in the lobby with the mess of cash all around them just as the sirens from the local law enforcement could be heard in the distance. Spider-Man and his shadow were quick to leave the place before the police got there; not noticing the man who owned the bodega across the street had witnessed the entire thing after calling the police…

-o-

"Mrs. H, are you all right?"

Peter had asked her for the fourth time that evening as they made their way across the rooftops back toward their neighborhood. She hadn't said a word to him since they thwarted the robbery and he was getting concerned. She had shut off her cloaking and he could see she had come to a stop on the edge of the building above one of the alleyways they usually met at. She had pulled out her phone and was swiping through it before she started typing away. She had remained that way for five minutes and Peter couldn't help but linger in behind her, concerned and a little worried he had done something wrong.

Once she was done she slipped her phone away and turned her head to look at him. "I'm fine… I just sent word to Tony about those robbers. They had some alien tech that was merged with some man-made tech so he's going to look into it." She looked away as she folded her arms across her chest. "You did well tonight but in future be more careful… That could have easily escalated into something that would have endangered the people who lived in that neighborhood. Be sure to assess the situation before charging in."

"Oh…" Peter gave a nod as he carefully moved to stand beside her, glancing at her with worry but feeling better at the praise. "OK, sure thing Mrs. H… but... are you sure you're ok? You seemed… really angry back there."

She didn't say a word but she took in a calming breath.

"Was it because one of the robbers had on a Hulk mask?" He asked, studying her with concern. He hesitated, clearly seeing she was getting agitated, but he had grown to like Ana over the past two weeks. He was worried about her and wanted her to be all right. "…I know the Hulk wasn't around during the fight at Berlin… Did something happen to him?"

"Not now Peter," she said as a frown twitched on her face. "I don't want to talk about it…"

Peter took a step back from her, slightly hurt at the tone in her voice and worried he had stepped over another boundary. They stood that way for a few heartbeats before Peter gave a nod. "Sorry Mrs. H… Just… If you wanna talk about it, I'm here, ok? I know I'm a just a kid compared to you and the other Avengers but I understand what it's like to lose people you love… so… Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. H."

He was about to jump down into the alleyway when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was caught off guard when he was pulled into a tight embrace. Ana held him tight, giving him a squeeze as she hugged him, before pulling away. She had a sad smile on her face as she reached up to do what Tony often did to her and chucked him under his chin. "You are too sweet… Thank you, Peter. I might take you up at that offer one of these days."

Peter couldn't help the relieved smile that touched his face, though she couldn't see it with the mask on, but he gave a quick nod as she took a step back. "Yeah, sure… What about those guys with the insane weapons?"

Ana frowned as she shook her head. "Let Tony look into it. Those weapons are dangerous and we don't know where goons like those would have gotten them. There is a black market for alien tech but to have regular thugs like those with access to it…" She shook her again. "Don't worry about it right now. You just concentrate on school tomorrow. I'll keep you up to date if I hear anything by then."

"Ok, see you tomorrow Mrs. H," said Peter before giving her a wave and leaping down to the alleyway below. It had been a good day and that robbery had been awesome, especially the way Ana had busted in the way she had…

His smile had disappeared when he noticed the dumpster he had webbed his backpack to was not in the spot it had been. He let out a groan as he dropped his head and slumped his shoulders. "My backpack's gone!"

He heard a burst of laughter from above him and the annoyance at losing another backpack ebbed away at the sound. He looked up at the roof and saw Ana was smiling down at him. She waved to him before she turned and ran off. He gave a soft smile as he turned and went to follow her back home…

Today had been a good day.


	98. The Earnest Knocking

_Said woman take it slow_

_And it'll work itself out fine_

_All we need is just a little patience…_

** Patience ** **– Guns N' Roses**

-o-

Chapter 98: The Earnest Knocking

The earnest knocking on her apartment door early the following morning was a surprise. It was a little after six in the morning and Ana had just finished getting dressed. She had been pouring her first cup of coffee when the knocking sounded, a very sharp rapping of knuckles against metal. Judging from the knocking, it was someone who knew that she was calling this place her current residence. Only a handful of people knew her exact location and all of them would have alerted her to their arrival beforehand - minus Tony, who would have just barged in with the spare key she had left with him.

The only other person, who knew she lived here and would have been too polite to even think of letting themselves in, was Peter. Wondering what the teenager would want at this time in the morning, she made her way to the door and unlocked it. She didn't bother to check the peep hole beforehand; if she had she wouldn't have been caught off guard by what had greeted her. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by not only the sight of Peter Parker on her doorstep but of another young male standing behind him.

"M-Morning Mrs. H," said Peter with a nervous smile. "We uh... we might have a little problem."

The other young male behind Peter was a little shorter than him and of a heavier body frame with an olive complexion and almond-shaped brown eyes. He was currently looking as if he would hyperventilate at any moment as he stared at Ana with unmasked awe. He leaned over to Peter and let loose a breath of exultation. "Dude... Is this _really_ Mrs. Hulk?"

Ana could only blink in response before her gaze landed on Peter. The fifteen year old could only smile helplessly as he leaned over to his friend. "You're not helping Ned," he said in a strained whisper.

Realizing what may have transpired from the previous evening when they had parted ways, Ana let loose a heavy sigh before she backed away from the door. "Inside," she said as she pointed into her apartment. "Now."

"Yes ma'am," said Peter as he grabbed his friend Ned by the arm and dragged him quickly inside, the other young man still gawking at Ana as they passed her. Ana's apartment was the mirror image of Peter's so he didn't need to ask where to go as he pulled his friend toward the living room.

The furniture was of an expensive quality and the décor tasteful but in a relaxed and homey way. As Peter and his friend sat down on the butter-soft leather sofa, Ned let out a groan in appreciation. "This couch is _super_ comfy," he said as he quickly settled himself back against the leather. "How loaded is she? Do you get paid the same amount or less because you're new? Wait, you're an intern, right? So you don't get paid-"

"Ned, _shut up_ ," Peter said, his voice tense and his posture rigid as he watched Ana make her way back to her kitchen to grab the cup of coffee she had left on the counter.

Once her coffee was in hand, she walked into the living room and sat down in the matching leather armchair across from the two teenagers. Her gaze flicked between the two of them as she drummed her fingernails against the ceramic. "Explain," she said as her gaze focused on Peter.

"Uh, well," Peter began as he looked at Ned before looking back at Ana. "You know I lost my backpack, had all my clothes in it?" He saw her nod but she did not interrupt, he took that as a good sign to keep going. "Well, I was climbing in through my window, being quiet so I wouldn't alert Aunt May, and I managed to get the door shut. When I got down from the ceiling uh… Ned was there… sitting on my bottom bunk…" He swallowed as he ran a hand through his brown hair. "I-I forgot I promised I was gonna help him with something and he came over. Aunt May let him in. He uh… he saw the whole thing. I-I told him I would explain tomorrow before school and uh… here we are?"

"So… you told him about me and that I lived next door to you? And you brought him over?" asked Ana before she took a sip of her coffee.

"I-I panicked?" He said, his tone ending in a question. "I didn't know what to tell him. I thought you could help…"

" _Je jure entre mon frère et cet enfant, je vais perdre la tête_ ," Ana muttered as she set her cup down on the glass table in front of her and rubbed her forehead.

"She speaks French?" Ned asked. "I didn't know that… What did she say?"

"Ned!"

Ana couldn't help the laughter that burst out of her, finding the interaction between the two of them rather funny considering the situation. It wasn't as big of a deal as Peter thought, if only because he had brought his friend to her first. She could easily diffuse the situation and guarantee his friend kept his silence about the whole thing. He would just need the proper motivation.

"Mrs. H?" Peter asked, unsure how to even go from here. He had been hoping his mentor would know what to do. He didn't want to get in trouble and potentially lose his internship as an Avenger.

"It's fine Peter," said Ana as she smiled at him. "Someone was bound to find out considering how many backpacks you've lost already." Her smile grew warm at the sight of the blush that had crept into his cheeks. "It's better that it's one of your friends and not some stranger. Definitely better than your Aunt May… She would be a little harder to convince."

"Mrs. Hulk," said Ned as he sat up a little straighter, struggling to get himself out of the comfortable position he had found himself in. "I just want to say how honored I am to meet you. I love the Avengers and I'm a huge fan of the way you make things explode. I mean I didn't even know you could look human. Do you change or is it like a suit you wear? Can you make things explode at will or is it some kind of special weapon that-"

"Ned…" Peter groaned as he dropped his face into his hands, clearly embarrassed.

Ana chuckled as she shook her head, finding Peter's friend to be unintentionally entertaining. Yes, she could find a way to make this work to their advantage. It may help Peter to have someone his own age to talk with about his stints as Spider-Man. "Is it a habit of young men to ask so many questions?"

Ned had the decency to quiet down after this but didn't look the least bit embarrassed. He was watching her expectantly, waiting for answers to his questions.

"How about we save the questions for another day," said Ana as she got up from the chair and folded her arms. "Right now, Ned is it?" She looked at him questioningly and he gave a firm nod in confirmation. "All right Ned, Peter is going to need your help. He's in training to become a full-fledged Avenger so everything he is doing now needs to be kept quiet for obvious reasons. If anyone was to find out who he was, it would put not only him in danger but yourself and anyone who knows you as well. This is not a game. There are dangerous people who would take advantage of the knowledge you possess and will not hesitate to take your life because of it. You have to promise me that you will not breathe a word of any of this, do you understand?"

Ned's excitement had died down quickly while Ana had spoken of danger and threats to his life because of the knowledge he now possessed. He was quick to nod, his dark hair falling about his forehead in a crazy manner. Ana studied the two of them for a moment, her gaze flicking between them as she pursed her lips in thought. Peter was unsure what she was thinking when she turned and left the living room with a quick "Be right back."

Peter watched her walk down the hallway to where the bedrooms were before he turned to his best friend. "What is wrong with you?! You don't ask questions like that!"

"What?" Ned glanced at Peter as he shrugged. "I was curious! Like you didn't ask those questions when you first met her."

Another blush of embarrassment filled Peter's cheeks as he reached out to shove Ned. "That's not the point! She's called Mrs. Hulk for a reason, Ned. You don't want to piss her off." After what had happened last night at the bank, he was worried about sparking Ana's temper inadvertently. She had great control but she was still capable of turning into a raging monster if she wasn't careful.

"O-oh," said Ned as realization hit him. " _Mrs_. Hulk… right…" He looked around the apartment before he looked at Peter. "So… is the Hulk living here too? I would think this place is too small for him. What about Cap? Is he hiding out here now that's he's a fugitive? Does Iron Man come by for a visit or-"

"Ned…"

Ana had walked back into the room at that moment and made her way over to the two young men sitting on her sofa. Ned was quick to quiet down as he focused his attention on Ana, sitting up straighter than before.

"Ned, I want you to take this," said Ana as she leaned forward to hand him something.

"What is it Mrs. Hulk?" asked Ned as he reached out to take the item from her hand. He looked down at it and saw it was a round silver pin with what looked like the radiation symbol on it.

"Don't…" Ana sighed before she shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "Call me Mrs. H if you have to. We're going to be a team now and as a team we need to support each other to make this work. Peter's going to need your help so the best way to do that is to alert me if anything comes up. That is a homing beacon. You push it and it'll let out a signal that will alert me to your location. If anything happens to you or if you see Peter is in trouble, you push that pin, got it?"

"Whoa," said Ned as he turned the pin over in his hand before he looked at Ana. "So are we like the Teen Avengers or something? Oh! Is this the Hulk's symbol cause you know radiation and all that?"

Again, Ana laughed at his first question and decided it was best to ignore it, she wasn't about to open that can of worms. She addressed his second question though, not seeing a problem with answering it. "It's something my brother came up with for my children to use when they are a little older. I see no problem with letting you use it."

"I didn't know you had those," said Peter, eyeing the pin with a little touch of envy.

"That's because they were not intended for you two," said Ana as she took his hand, turned it over, and dropped a second pin into his hand. "But keep them; you'll need them more than my twins."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Ned as he looked up from his shirt, where he was busy putting the pin. "You have kids? That means they're the Hulk's kids? Oh my god! Are they here? Do they change when they get angry too? Are they green like the Hulk? How old are they-"

"Peter, take your friend… You two have school, don't you?" Ana said with a soft chuckle as placed a hand over her face to keep from laughing too hard.

"Yes ma'am," said Peter as he quickly got to his feet, dragging Ned up along with him. "C'mon Ned, we gotta go."

"Mrs. H, thank you for letting me be a part of this," said Ned as he reached up to give Ana a salute. "This is the best thing to ever happen to me. I promise I won't let you down."

"I'm not the Captain, Ned," said Ana as another laugh bubbled out of her. She shook her head and pointed to the front door. "Both of you get to school."

"Yes ma'am," she heard them say before Peter pulled his friend out of the living room and to the front door. Peter hesitated and looked back at Ana, when he caught her questioning gaze, he mouthed "thank you" to her before turning around to push Ned out the door. Once the sound of the front door closing reached her, Ana sat down on the armchair and sighed heavily. She was going to have to make another call to Tony…

-o-

Later that morning found Ana in a courtyard in a place known as Kamar Taj.

She was tutoring under a Master who was known only by the name of Wong.

No last name, no first name, just Wong.

He was a middle aged man of Asian descent with a slightly heavier body frame and dark hair that was shorn close to the scalp. He was Dr. Strange's associate at the New York Sanctum and one of the few who had taught Dr. Strange directly as the librarian when the doctor had first come to this place. There were other Masters of the Mystic Arts that could have taught Ana but Wong had insisted on being the one to aid the woman in her quest in learning. Since Dr. Strange had been the one to bring Ana into the knowledge of all that they were and all that they did, he felt it would be best if he handled her tutelage for those times when Dr. Strange could not.

Today had been one of those days.

At this moment, Ana was learning about the delicate form and meditation of conjuring a shield. While she moved her hands and weaved her fingers in a gentle mimicry of Wong's movements – who was beside her – a flurry of orange - reddish sparks were dancing from her finger tips, looking as if something were aching to explode outward. In the empty air before her, the same color of sparks was creating jagged lines of energy, looking nothing like the calm and controlled shield that Wong had before him.

"Let us stop for now," said Wong as he relaxed from his stance, his conjured shield fading from view.

Ana let loose a soft breath as she relaxed as well, the sparks lingering on her fingertips though it faded from the air before her. She glanced down at her fingertips, seeing the red glow of her crimson veins as the thermal energy she had never been able to control without Cin's consciousness behaved in an erratic manner. She could feel her other self's concern through the fluid wall between them, it was taking all of Cin's willpower to not reach out and take control. They both knew how important this was for their human side to learn this, to master these abilities. If Ana could not learn to gain better control of her thermal powers, how would she be able to escalate to the Mystic Arts?

"You have a natural affinity," said Wong as he turned to face her. "Yet, there is an unbridled passion behind it. I have never seen such energy eager to be called forth." He focused his gaze on her as he straightened, folding his arms behind his back. "From what Stephen has told me, you already possess enhanced abilities thanks to the part of you that hails from beyond this world. I now understand what he was talking about."

"I've never been able to have full control over what I could do," said Ana as she took a calming breath, allowing herself to relax as the sparks finally faded from her fingertips. "Cin has been the only one who could. I've always just allowed her to take control."

"Your other consciousness you call Cin, is she aware of what is going on?" asked Wong, his dark eyes alight with interest.

Ana gave a nod as she lowered her hands to rub them together, a flurry of sparks shooting from the contact to fall harmlessly to the ground. "After events that had transpired a couple of months ago, it brought about a change in us. We're more in sync than before- at first it had been hard for me to differentiate between us. I didn't know where Cin began and where I ended. It's gotten better now though…"

"Fascinating," said Wong as he studied Ana with interest. "I have never heard of such a thing in all my years… I can see why Stephen is interested in teaching you. You have this power that is fueled by rage and fury and because of it there is too much trying to come out at once when you try to harness it."

Ana could feel her heart sinking a little. "It is a little disappointing… The most powerful way to unleash my abilities had always been to surrender to the rage. Now it is impeding on my progress."

"Not necessarily," said Wong as he began to walk, gesturing her to follow. Ana moved to fall into step beside him and glanced at him as he kept his gaze forward. "You are not fully human and the energy you call upon is not only pulled from other dimensions but from this one as well. It is like you are a beacon. You attract all of this energy and it focuses within you to emerge as one kind of energy- this explosive fire from your hands, the magma beneath your feet… That is all you had known and what you were capable of until now. Now, you are trying to convert that energy, change it into something it has never been before, and it is putting up a fight. It is not impeding you; it is just trying to fight against what it had always been. You being partly human does ensure that it can become what you will it but it will take time."

Ana gave a nod in understanding as she looked down at her hands, her thoughts mulling over what he had said.

"I will advise Stephen of this and we'll come up with a curriculum that works best for you," he said as he looked down at her. "We will help you harness your gifts. It will just take time, patience, and experimentation."

Ana nodded again, a soft smile emerging as she looked up at Wong. "I thank you Wong for taking the time with me today."

"You are a unique student," he said with a smile. "I am privileged with the honor of being able to teach one such as yourself."

A ping from the phone in her pocket caused her to pause and she looked at Wong with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll need to take this."

"Oh yes," said Wong with a chuckle. "Your protégé. Stephen told me all about him… Please, take care of your student. I will meet you in the library when you are done."

Ana gave a wave as she pulled her phone from her pocket and turned around to head toward the big tree in the middle of the courtyard. Swiping open her phone, she saw it was a message from Peter:

_Mrs. H,_

_Ned just told our entire class that I know Spider-Man! I just got invited to a party and they're asking me to bring him! I don't know what to do! Help!_

Ana let out a groan as she slowly placed her face in her hand, her groan turning into a near sob. " _Maman, accorde-moi de la patience…_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Je jure entre mon frère et cet enfant, je vais perdre la tête = I swear between my brother and this child, I'm going to lose my mind.
> 
> Maman, accorde-moi de la patience = Mama, grant me patience
> 
> (rough translation)


	99. You Got a Soft Spot

_We're having a party tonight_

_Where everything will be all right_

_Come on, come on_

_Everyone come on_

_It's time that we should have some fun…_

**Party Time** **–** The Heptones

-o-

Chapter 99: You Got a Soft Spot

"You got a soft spot for that kid, Ana."

Ana rolled her eyes as she turned away from a glass case that was housing a fierce looking scimitar and made her way back to the sitting area. She pressed the phone to her ear as she ducked her head, moving toward one of the armchairs and sitting down on it.

It was early afternoon and Wong had taken Ana back to the New York Sanctum after their study session in the Kamar Taj library was done. Once she was back, she had placed a call to Tony to advise him of the most recent update to her situation with Peter and his friend Ned. It hadn't even been a full day and now, because of a teenager's need to impress the cool kids, Ana had to find a way to diffuse the situation. It wasn't all that big of a deal but Ana was adamant on keeping the connection between Peter Parker and Spider-Man to an absolute minimum. She wanted Peter to enjoy his life as much as he could without him being caught up in something that may be a threat to him and everything he held dear.

Hence, why she was currently on the phone with Tony and asking him for a favor.

She hated asking Tony for favors.

He had this terrible habit of lording it over her that she owed him something just for the fun of it. They had grown a lot together over the last four years but Tony being an annoying big brother was not something that had ever or would ever cease to change.

" _Mon dieu_ , Tony I just need you to do me this one thing, is it too much to ask?"

"No, no," he said, she could hear the cheeky smile in his voice and she couldn't help the frown that touched her face. "I can get it done for you. Make it look legit and everything. It's just a lot you're doing for a fourteen-year-old kid and his buddy going to a party."

"Peter is fifteen," said Ana as she rubbed her forehead, “and I wouldn't be going through any of this if you hadn't decided to dangle the chance of becoming an Avenger in front of him in the first place. He's eager and I wouldn't be surprised if he goes gallivanting off somewhere while he's supposed to be at this party. You wanted me to keep an eye on him, remember? Do this for me. If he decides to be an idiot and disappears then at least I'll be there to help him if he needs it."

"C'mon," he said as she heard his chuckle. "Admit it; you've grown fond of the kid."

"Tony," she groaned and his bark of laughter brought a reluctant smile to her face.

"All right, all right, I'll take care of it for you. One Peter Parker will be receiving a surprise guest to this shin dig of his friend courtesy of his internship with Stark Industries. Is there anything else your Highness needs?"

"Oh shush," said Ana as her smile grew. "Just enjoy your trip and _please_ have one of your suits on standby as usual."

"Sure thing kiddo," he said. "Anything you want for a souvenir while I'm here?"

"No big brother, I'm fine," she said, her affection clear. "Tell Pepper I said hello."

"Will do and have fun at the teenager party. Make sure you don't buy them any beer ok? Underage drinking being against the law and all that…"

"Bye Tony," she said with a laugh before she pulled the phone away from her ear and disconnected the call.

She let out the softest of sighs as she stared at the phone before placing it in her pocket. She ran a hand through her loose copper brown curls as she stared at one of the glass cases holding a relic. She wondered if she had gotten in over her head when she agreed to help Tony keep an eye on Spider-Man…

"Trouble with the protégé already?" asked a deep voice to her left.

She glanced up and found Doctor Strange was standing beside her chair, either having appeared in his usual sneaky way or having been there the entire time without her knowing. It could have been either for all she knew. That man had a way with getting around this place that could throw one's perception out the window. It did the first few times when she had come to visit.

"His best friend discovered his identity and managed to get him invited to a party on the pretense that he was friends with Spider-Man… All within the span of a twenty-four-hour period," said Ana as she propped her chin on her hand, her exasperation quite clear. "I am beginning to dread dealing with the twins when they become teenagers."

A deep chuckle escaped Strange as he moved to take a seat in the chair opposite of Ana. "Well, dealing with a super hero teenager would be quite a challenging feat," he said. "At least he's giving you good practice for the future."

She was surprised to see that he was not wearing his usual ensemble today of his Cloak of Levitation and his garb as a Master of the Mystic Arts. He was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a grey hoodie, a pair of well-worn white sneakers on his feet. As he propped an ankle on his knee, Ana had to suppress the sudden urge to laugh. He looked so utterly normal it was… Well, she hated to say it but it did look strange. It didn't work as well as she had thought because Strange had caught the amusement on her face and tilted his head slightly, his curious gaze studying her.

"Is there something funny?" he asked though his tone of voice was light, implying he was generally curious. A hesitant smile twitched on the corners of his goateed lips.

Ana was quick to shake her head as she sat back against her chair. " _Non_ , nothing bad. You just caught me off guard with how unassuming you look today."

"Ah," he said as he nodded. "Had some errands to take care of. Can't really run around New York looking the way I do. Unwanted attention and all that, you understand."

A soft laugh escaped her as she nodded, indeed understanding what he was getting at. It was a blessed thing that her calm state was not as well-known as her raging side so she could walk around without much incident. Tonight was going to be a different story though…

"So, this party you mentioned," he began, his eyes dancing with amusement as he studied her. "You're going as a chaperone for your protégé?"

"Yes and no," she said as she rolled her eyes. "More along the lines of helping his social status among his peers while making sure he doesn't get into trouble. I trust him to a certain point. Peer pressure can be a devil. Being who he is, I don't want him to take unneeded risks if he doesn't need to. I just want him to have fun and if I have to embarrass myself to make sure he stays safe then so be it."

"It sounds as if you truly care about him," said Strange as he continued studied her. Ana couldn't help but feel as if he were looking straight through her. "But don't let your affection for him get to the point that he will feel smothered. He'll want space. Just keep maintaining the respectable distance as you have been. Make your presence known but don't hover. It's all part of learning and growing even making the mistakes."

Ana frowned at that as she focused her gaze on Strange. "I suppose… I just don't want him to make a mistake that will cost him more than he is willing to pay."

Strange frowned at those words, a distant look appearing in his blue-green eyes.

Ana noticed and her frown deepened slightly. "I'm sorry Dr. Strange, did I say something wrong?"

He focused his gaze on her, blinking once and looking as if he were coming back to himself, before he shook his head. "No, no… You're fine. Your words just reminded me of something similar I'd heard before, that's all."

Suspecting it may have been something from his past, Ana didn't ask him what it was she had inadvertently reminded him of. Instead, she brushed back her curls into a haphazard bun at the back of her head, using a hair tie she kept around her wrist to secure it. The silence that had fallen between them was comfortable and she took the moment to plan for the evening ahead. She had a feeling it was going to be a long one and she was going to have to mentally prepare herself for the barrage of questions she would undoubtedly receive from the numerous teenagers there. She wondered if she'd be able to use Ned as a buffer… He seemed to be quite the talkative type…

"How did your session go with Wong today?" Strange asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Well enough I suppose," she said in response as she dropped her hands in her lap. "We've discovered that I have a natural affinity for drawing forth the energy needed for the spells but he says there is too much energy trying to come out at once. The shield I had been trying to conjure was too jagged and erratic, too unstable. He seemed to be rather keen to continue teaching me though, a little excited even. I think he's taking it as a challenge. Was he like that with you, Dr. Strange?"

"Stephen, please," he said, his smile growing just a little warmer. "We'll be working together for the foreseeable future so might as well keep the atmosphere friendly. And in answer to your question, no. Wong was rather reserved with me; he still is in some regards. It's interesting to hear about your affinity for the Mystic Arts. You have a natural talent but it sounds raw… I'll speak with Wong about it later. I'd like to see it for myself the next time you come in."

"I'll be back tomorrow, we can try it out then," she said as she let out a yawn and scrubbed her face, trying to wake herself back up. Her energy reserves seemed a little lower than usual this morning after the session with Wong. "I'll have to call it a day though. I have some planning to do and a teenager to message." She got up from the chair and smiled at Strange. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, Stephen."

He gave a soft chuckle as he nodded, wordlessly opening up a portal that would send her back to her apartment building. "Good luck with the protégé," he said once it was done.

With a laugh and a wave, Ana left the through portal, the flurry of yellow-orange sparks closing behind her and fading from view. Doctor Strange however remained in his armchair, staring thoughtfully at the place where Ana had disappeared through…

-o-

_Don't worry, just go to the party. No Spider-Man today. Take the afternoon off and relax. I'll see you later._

Peter stared at the text he received from Ana that afternoon and he swallowed back the disappointment that was rising up. Putting his phone away, he waited for the bell to ring signaling the end of the school day. As he watched the clock, he mulled over her words and wondered if maybe she was right. Maybe he should just go as himself, take a moment to just relax. He had been working hard…

The final bell rang and Peter got up from his desk, grabbing his books while a troubled frown played across his features. As he made his way through the building toward his locker, he heard a shout from behind him and he paused to look over his shoulder. Ned was waving at him from down the hall and making his way through the crowd of teenagers. Peter waited for his best friend to catch up before he turned and continued on his way to his locker.

"So?" asked Ned as he glanced earnestly at Peter. "What did Mrs. H say? Did she give the ok?"

"Not… exactly," said Peter as he stopped at his locker and fiddled with the combination lock. Once unlocked, he opened up the locker and started stuffing his books away.

"What do you mean?" asked Ned, a slight frown twitching between his dark brows.

"She said no Ned," said Peter as he heaved a sigh, glancing at his best friend. "She said to just go to the party but no Spider-Man."

"Dude, not cool," said Ned as he shook his head. "Didn't you tell her why? How cool it'd be-"

"No Ned and to be honest, she's right," Peter said as he slammed his locker shut and turned to face him. "Spider-Man isn't a party trick."

"Hey, Penis Parker!" a voice shouted from down the hall and Peter closed his eyes as he tensed up, feeling his anger rising. "Looking forward to see your buddy Spider-Man at the party! Hope he's not too busy with your other imaginary friends!"

Flash Thompson's annoying laugh disappeared down the hall and the bitterness that Peter had been feeling began to rise up. "You know what?" he said. "It's all right, we'll make it happen."

Ned's face brightened as he reached out to punch Peter's bicep. "That's what I'm talking about! C'mon, we'll meet at your place. Would your aunt mind giving us a ride?"

Peter gave a jerky nod as he followed Ned down hall to the exit, not quite listening to his friend…

-o-

Later that evening found Peter in the passenger side of his Aunt May's car with Ned in the backseat. She had pulled up to a very nice house in one of the more affluent suburbs. Peter was feeling the anxiety as he tried to back out but his aunt insisted that he needed to relax and enjoy himself. He was too stressed. Ned was not helping.

Seeing that he was backed into a corner, Peter had no choice but to leave the car, Ned following closely behind him. As they made their way up the long walkway, Ned leaned over. "Do you have the suit?"

Peter frowned a little as he pulled up the long sleeve of his collared shirt, showing the sleeve of his Spider-Man suit underneath. Ned let out a laugh as he nodded, his fedora bouncing with the movement. "This is gonna be the best night of our lives."

Once inside, Ned was speaking in a low tone as electronic music blared around them, other teenagers mingling from one room to another. "So, you swing in, say 'what's up' and then you give me one of those bro fists - half hugs…"

Peter wasn't really listening as he looked around the crowd of teenagers, trying to find the girl who was hosting the party – his crush.

"I can't believe you guys actually showed up to this party," said a voice to their right and they looked to find Michelle Jones was standing at one of the tables with food, watching them with disinterest. She was their age and looked to be of a mixed descent, her hair was a mass of frizzy brown curls that she kept in check with a single hair tie.

"You're here too," said Ned as he shook his head, frowning at the girl.

"Am I?" she asked as she took a bite of a piece of pizza before she turned and left, leaving the conversation in a usual awkward manner. She was always good at that.

After that brief strangeness, the hostess of the party had found them and Peter felt his heart jump up into his throat. Liz was a beautiful senior with a light olive complexion, straight dark hair and expressive eyes. She had on light makeup that accentuated her high cheekbones and a ready smile. Peter could easily say he had fallen in love the first moment he had seen her…

They had a somewhat normal conversation, Liz stating she was glad to see them there at her party, when the sound of something breaking in distance caught her attention. "I… better go check that out. My parents will kill me if anything's broken. You guys have fun." She smiled at Peter before she turned and disappeared further into the house.

Peter watched as she walked away before Ned caught his attention, asking when he was going to swing in as Spider-Man. The doubt from before had resurfaced and Peter shook his head as he looked at Ned. "I-I don't think it's a good idea right now… I just wanna relax, have fun, be myself." The words he spoke were an echo of Ana's text and he felt a slight bit of guilt.

"That's no fun, no one wants that," Ned said without thinking.

Peter glanced back at him, his frown deep. "Dude…" he said as he shook his head and walked in further into the party.

"Penis Parker!" said a gratingly familiar voice over the music and Peter looked to his right to see Flash behind a DJ set up in the living room. A number of other kids were dancing to the music but had focused their eyes on Peter when Flash had called him out. "Where's your buddy Spider-Man? Let me guess, in Canada with your imaginary girlfriend." The sound of a horn pierced through the music, signaling the punchline of his poor joke, but it elicited a chorus of laughter from the crowd. "Is that Spider-Man next to you? Oh wait, no it's just a Ned in a red shirt." Another horn, more laughter…

Peter felt the warmth in his cheeks from the embarrassment and humiliation and he turned away, pushing past Ned with a "Be right back."

Once outside the house, he made his way carefully around toward the back, sticking to the shadows. Seeing that no one was around this part of the property, he took a huge leap and landed on the roof of a large shed. He started shedding his clothes, muttering to himself, "Hey what's up guys? Just dropping by to say hi to my friend Peter… Hey, Ned? How ya doin? Have you seen my buddy Peter…? I…" He sighed as he kneeled down at the edge of the roof. He had a perfect vantage point and he could see into the large windows of the house that looked into the living room. He could see Ned standing by himself from the crowd, looking around…

"This is so stupid," he muttered as he rubbed a hand over his face…

The sound of thrusters from overhead caught his ear and he glanced up to see a familiar shaped something flying through the darkness. It flew down low toward the front of the house before landing on the front yard of the house. Under the lighting from the house, he could recognize the shape to be Iron Man.  It opened up and let out its pilot...

Peter could feel the shock as a familiar tall form, decked out in black clothing, emerged from the Iron Man suit. The suit then took off by itself while the person began making their way to the front of the house. The glowing yellow eyes he could see from his vantage point had been the first confirmation as to who it was before the sound of girls screaming signified the next.

Peter watched as the dancing crowd of teenagers in the living room had stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to something in the front of the home. The loud base of the music had been cut off for a moment and silence fell before Peter could see that the person had let themselves into the house. They had entered the living room and had come to a stop in front of Ned, who was looking up at them as if Christmas had come early.

The glowing yellow eyes, the tall form, and the stoic face of Mrs. Hulk standing in their midst had caused the party to come to a complete standstill. She was dressed in a dark jumpsuit that covered her from the neck down, the Avengers logo emblazoned on the right breast. She was talking to Ned, looking as if she had asked something, because he shook his head in reply, his mouth hanging open as he stared up at her. A slight frown had appeared on her face as she looked around, no doubt looking for him. It was at that moment that Liz had cautiously stepped up to the Avenger and gave a tentative wave in hello, trying to get her attention.

Mrs. H looked down at the young girl, her frown easing at once as she said something to her, no doubt asking where Peter was.

Liz nodded as she looked around at the crowd, searching through the faces, before she paused and waved at someone. A moment later Flash Thompson's voice emerged from the speakers of his DJ booth. "Pen-Pe-Peter Parker, are you in the house? Got an unexpected buddy of yours looking for you!" Flash was sounding in awe as Liz turned back to Mrs. H and smiled brightly, her excitement quite clear.

Mrs. H folded her arms and gave a nod, saying something to her before she turned to Ned.

The music came back on but the teenagers in the room were too distracted by the sight of an Avenger standing amongst them to go back to dancing. Ned was smiling up a storm as he started talking to her, looking as if he were already firing off on his questions.

Peter could feel the shock and disbelief as he watched Mrs. H standing there next to his best friend, already looking uncomfortable. She came to the party as her Avenger persona and she didn't even tell him. The shock was quick to give way to guilt and a rush of warmth filling his heart at what she did. She went out of her way to help him out in this situation when she didn't have to… Now he understood when she said he would see her later... She had meant it in this way.

Swallowing back the tightness in his throat, Peter was about to grab his t-shirt when the sound of a distant explosion caught his ear. He stood up and turned around just in time to catch sight of a large cloud of glowing blue light. That's wasn't normal…

Glancing back at the party, his gaze lingering on Mrs. H, he frowned - a brief moment of indecision - before quickly donning his mask and running off toward the source of the explosion. It might be one of those guys with the insane tech from last night… It was a judgement call. He had to be quick; maybe he could catch them and call Mrs. Hulk…

Not looking back, he leapt off the roof and shot out a web, disappearing into the darkness of the suburb.


	100. Something was Off

_I get worried about you_

_It's a habit that I can't seem to rid_

_Oh, I get worried about you_

_I wonder what the hell's in your head?_

_What's in your head?_

_I get worried about you…_

**Worried** **– Tash (AU)**

-o-

Chapter 100: Something was Off

Something was off; she could feel it in her gut as she stood beside Ned, waiting for Peter to come back to the party. He had been away for far too long and he would have realized by now that she was here. No, Ana had the distinct feeling her protégé had ditched the party for something a little more exciting.

She was going to kill him.

"Mrs. H, do you mind taking another pic with me?" Ned asked as he tapped on her shoulder, bringing her out of her brooding thoughts.

She looked down at Peter's best friend and couldn't help the slight annoyance mixed with affection. Ned was indeed the talkative type. He hadn't stopped asking questions or taking pictures since she had arrived thirty minutes ago. A few other brave souls had come over to introduce themselves but many of the kids there were quite happy at staying far away, though a good many of them had their phones out and were snapping pictures from a distance.

Ana could only imagine the media outlets were going to have a field day with this one but as she had discussed with Tony earlier that day, it would be good publicity for the Avengers. Having one of the original members showing up as a surprise guest at a teenage party because one of Stark's interns had won a drawing was a good cover up. Tony had had fun with that one.

Now though it seemed as if it was all for nothing.

Peter was nowhere to be found and Ana could feel her other self getting antsy because of it. Cin had grown quite fond of the teenager and the affection had spilled over into Ana's own emotions. The two were finding it a little harder to keep their consciousness separate like they used to and it didn't help when they were in their partial raging form as they were now.

Not saying a word to Ned, she simply leaned down to stare blankly at the phone while he held it out with a cheesy smile on his face to snap the picture. Ana would have smiled but she had a reputation as the Hulk's wife to maintain, she couldn't break character now…

Her phone pinged, and she took a step back away from Ned to pull it from her pocket. She glanced down at her phone and saw it was a message from Tony.

_Spidey's ditched the party. Tracking him chasing down some thugs a good bit away from where you are. Suit's swinging by to pick you up._

Ana let out a growl as she almost shattered her phone in her hand, her form trembling from the effort of keeping her temper down. She was going to kill him when she saw him.

"Ned," said Ana as she turned around to look at the teenager. "I have to go. Getting called in. Peter should be back in a little bit. If you see him, you tell him I am _not_ happy with him."

Ned's smile quickly faded as he stared up at the glowing eyes of this Avenger, seeing the rage that was threatening to spill over, and he nodded quickly. He was smart enough to know when not to talk.

Satisfied with Ned's response, Ana turned and quickly made her way through the crowd of teenagers, who were giving her a wide berth, as she ran out the house and down the long walkway. The Iron Man suit had landed on the street and opened. The teenagers who were milling about outside were letting out various curses and shouts of excitement at seeing the Iron Man again. Ana didn't hesitate to run up to the suit, skidding to a stop and climbing inside with little trouble. The armor sealed itself back up around her before the thrusters ignited and took off with her. Tony was piloting the suit remotely and, the moment Ana was safely inside, his voice piped up in her ear.

"You called it didn't you?" he said, his own tone of voice revealing his annoyance. "You knew he was going to do something like this."

"Just a feeling," said Ana as she watched the data flow across her line of vision, seeing a map displayed of the immediate area and a little blip on this map showing Peter's current location. The map was showing that he was moving at a steady pace, which meant he was on foot chasing down whoever he was pursuing. With how fast the suit could go, they would be there within few minutes…

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Tony as the little blip on the map suddenly zoomed out of the area. "He's airborne." The map zoomed out and it showed Peter was at a dangerous height and going higher by the moment as they flew out of the suburb area and over a large body of water. Something had grabbed hold of him, something that wasn't showing up on their immediate scanners. There was a warning that splashed in the corner of Ana's line of vision. "His chute just deployed but he's plummeting at a fast rate. He's gotta be tangled in it."

Ana's heart dropped as her gaze flicked to the warning before focusing on the map. "Can we get to him on time?"

"No," said Tony, his own concern growing. "He's too far. If we're lucky, he'll land in the water but it's gonna be a painful crash."

" _Non_ ," said Ana as she felt her panic rising for the boy. "We'll get there!" She could feel Cin's fear at the thought of Peter getting hurt or worse. It was this fear that spilled over and spurred her on and she raised her right hand, causing the thruster of the Iron Man suit to briefly shut off as they flew at a fast pace. With a rapid circular gesture, her thoughts and desires focused on the safety of the young man plummeting to the earth below, a jagged line of orange-reddish energy appeared in the air in front of her before it began to spiral at an alarming rate. The sparks opened to reveal a portal, a very unstable and erratic portal, but one nonetheless.

Ignoring Tony's cursed shout in surprise, the Iron Man suit flew straight into the portal and emerged out the other side. The Iron Man suit had passed right over a falling white sheet with something rolled up in it. Reaching out, Ana took hold of the trailing lines of the parachute and held tight, the suit dipping from the added weight. Tony had activated the thrusters on the back of the suit and the boots while he continued cursing in Ana's ear, asking her what the hell she had just done.

Ana continued to ignore her brother as she held tightly on to the lines of the parachute while Tony steered the suit back over to dry land. In the parachute below, she heard a shout and she looked down to see Spider-Man's head poking out of the white sheet.

"Oh… Hey!" he said. "Thanks!"

Ana could feel her anger rising as it mixed with the pure relief that they had gotten to him on time.

She was going to kill him.

Tony had managed to get them to a secluded looking park that was near the water – which looked to be a lake of some kind – and hovered down beside a jungle gym. Ana released the lines of the parachute and Spider-Man fell unceremoniously a few feet to the ground below. His "ouch" rose up from within the folds of the chute before he managed to get himself untangled from within it. He shook his head before he focused his gaze up at the Iron Man suit. "H-hey Mr. Stark," he said as he got up and stumbled his way over to the jungle gym. He placed a hand against a metal bar as he took a moment to compose himself.

"Mind telling what that little stunt was about?" Tony asked as Spider-Man leapt up onto the jungle gym and pulled off his mask. The story he gave was one that was filled with rash decisions and a level of stupidity that was slowly making Ana's anger rise with each word he spoke. By the end of the story, Peter was gesturing about, the adrenalin still coursing through his system.

"…and then he just- he just like swooped down like a monster and he picked me up li-li-like a thousand feet and dropped me!" Peter took a breath as he looked up at the Iron Man suit that was still hovering, the optics of its mask focused on him. "How'd you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?"

"I… put everything in your suit," said Tony, his voice coming out of the speakers imbedded in the Iron Man helmet. The Iron Man suit slowly lowered itself to the ground. "What were you thinking?" he asked.

"The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons," said Peter as he gestured out, pointing toward the sky. "I gotta take him down!"

"Oh, take him down now huh?" said Tony as the Iron Man suit shifted on its feet. "Steady Crocket, there are people who handle this sort of thing."

"The Avengers?" asked Peter as he got up and leapt off the jungle gym to stand in front of Iron Man.

"No, no, no," said Tony. "This is a little below their… pay grade-"

"Anyway," said Peter raising a hand to catch Tony's attention. "Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here. I had that, I was fine…"

"Oh, I'm not… here," said Tony as the Iron Man suit opened and revealed the glowing yellow eyes of a very angry looking Mrs. Hulk. "I can't say the same for your mentor though…" The suit opened all the way and Ana stepped out of it, her growls vibrating from her torso as she stared at Peter.

"O-oh, oh, h-hey Mrs. H," said Peter as he took a step back, a slice of panic hitting the heart of him as he watched in horrified fascination as she started to change. She grew taller and her hands elongated to fierce looking red claws. This was Cin slowly coming through and taking control from Ana and she was not happy with this boy. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes," said Tony as the Iron Man suit sealed itself back up and took to hovering in the air again. "You pissed off the one person you don't ever want to piss off. Now, I know my sister and Cin wouldn't do anything to hurt you, but I can't promise... and Cin," the Iron Man's helmet turned its attention to the tall, raging woman. "We gotta talk about that little trick you did back there when I get back."

Cin tilted her head toward the suit and nodded, her glowing eyes never leaving Peter's panicked face.

"All right," said Tony, the sound of a smile on his voice as a car engine could be heard in the background. "I'll leave you to it then. Good luck!"

"N-no, wait Mr. Stark!" Peter tore his gaze away from Cin to see the Iron Man suit turning around.

"Mr. Stark is no longer connected," came the voice of Tony's AI before the suit took off into the air to disappear into the night.

Peter audibly swallowed as he turned his attention back to Cin, a nervous smile trying to break though. "M-Mrs. H?"

Cin was growling as she took a step toward the boy, standing to her full height of seven feet and towering over him. A soft _meep_ had escaped out of him as he took a step back, backing into the metal bars of the jungle gym.

" _You could have died,_ " she said in a husky voice as she reached out to point a clawed finger right above his heart. " _You could have died… and I wouldn't have known you were in trouble._ "

"I-I'm sorry Mrs. Hulk. I didn't mean to make you upset," said Peter, caught off guard by the sight of tears welling up in her glowing eyes. Had she been that worried?

" _You are one of mine,_ " she said before she suddenly reached out and took him by the back of the neck, carefully holding him so that her claws would not break his suit. She leaned down and pressed her forehead over his, a fierce red glow emerging from her hand. " _Never again, do you understand?_ "

Peter could feel the breath burst out of him in shock as something in his mind clicked. He could feel something tugging in his brain and in the center of his chest, a sort of pulling sensation that was leading him to the raging woman in front of him. The heat from Cin's hand and the center of her brow was almost becoming too unbearable when she suddenly released him. He slouched back against the metal bars of the jungle gym as he was overcome with an onslaught of emotions that weren't his own. Cin seemed to relax after all this was done and she slowly let out a breath as she shrank down to her calm state. Peter's breath was slightly ragged as he looked at Ana with wide eyes. "M-Mrs. H? What happened? Wh-what was that?"

Ana blinked, and the glow faded from her eyes, revealing deep brown irises that were dazed. She shook her head before her gaze focused on Peter, her body trembling slightly from the sudden change that had occurred. She reached up to place a hand against her temple, a slight frown twitching between her brows. "It would seem… that Cin has officially claimed you as her little brother." She shook her head as she glanced at Peter. "What you're feeling is your telepathic link to myself and the others in the family. In case anything like this should happen again, I can find you no matter how far you are. The same thing goes for you. If you need to find any one of us, the link will pull you in the direction of where we are." She sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead. "It's been awhile since she did that…"

Peter could only stare at the raging woman in front of him, feeling the link between them and feeling her frustration. It was the strangest thing he had ever experienced in his life so far. "A telepathic link? Like a psychic?"

"Not quite," she said as she dropped her hand and turned to face him. "It's a mental web of links among the family which now includes you. You'll be able to feel what we feel, find us if you need help, and on rare occasions share memories."

"Whoa," said Peter, his eyes still wide as he studied Ana. "That's… insane."

"Quirks of being permanently merged with an alien," said Ana as she folded her arms. "Now, I will only tell you this once. If you come across those thugs with the weapons again, call Tony or myself. Do _not_ go after them by yourself, do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am," he said with a quick nod.

"I think you still have time to enjoy the rest of the party. Go back there and apologize to Ned for ditching him."

Peter nodded again, this time ducking his head in embarrassment, as he started to walk but paused and turned around to look at Ana. "I'm sorry Mrs. H for worrying you… I saw you at the party… That was really cool. Thanks for being there." He frowned lightly as he studied her. "Are you going to head back?"

"No, I've got things to take care of," said Ana as she turned away from the boy. "Go back to the party, Peter. I'll text you tomorrow."

Seeing that she was still upset with him after the little stunt he pulled, he nodded again before pulling on his mask and turning around to jog off back to the suburb.

Waiting until he had disappeared into the darkness, Ana let out the softest of sighs as a gentle sob escaped her. Cin's fear had been great and it was still lingering in her own emotions. If anything had happened to that boy, she would have never forgiven herself. Cin had grown attached and she had claimed Peter as one of the family. Well, at least she would be able to find the boy if he acted stupid and went off on his own again…

Sighing softly, Ana turned and started to walk along the bank of the water, not noticing the flurry of yellow sparks that had appeared and the portal that had opened before her. When she looked up and finally noticed the portal, she had already stepped through and disappeared. The portal closed behind her…

-o-

"Are you all right?"

Ana found herself standing in the familiar sitting area of the New York Sanctum and she looked to see Doctor Stephen Strange was standing there, decked out in his usual garb of the Mystic Arts. His piercing eyes were studying her with concern as he watched her movements, looking for signs of something though what that was she couldn't say.

Glancing around at the familiar sight of the glass cases containing the Sanctum's relics, she gave a single nod as she moved to go sit down on the familiar armchair that felt as if had become hers. "I feel fine… Somewhat." She frowned as she stared at her hands, now devoid of her crimson veins since she was in her calm state. They were trembling.

"You opened a gateway," said Strange as he turned to face her. "With little training, no knowledge of how to even start the process, and you feel fine?" The disbelief could be heard in his voice.

"Oh, you caught that?" she gave a hint of a smile as she looked up at him, trying to make light of the situation.

"I've been keeping tabs on you since you agreed to start training in the Mystic Arts, in case something like this happened."

"Ah," she nodded, understanding touching her.

"You could've ripped yourself apart," he said, his deep voice filled with concern. "There are reasons why we train, why we teach in the steps that we do, so that way we can ensure your safety. Opening a wild gateway like that could have ended badly for you."

"I'm sorry," she said as she looked up at him, her exhaustion clear as the emotions from the recent stunt her protégé had pulled finally weighed down on her. "Cin was desperate and when she's desperate I'm desperate. Our protégé could have died tonight because of a stupid choice he made and it would have been on my hands. I was not going to allow that to happen. I was lucky it worked but I am not going to take that chance again. I will not try anything of the Mystic Arts on my own until you and Wong say otherwise. I promise."

A muscle ticked in Strange's jaw as the two studied one another, his concern giving way to reluctant acceptance as his tense form slowly eased. He gave a single nod in response to her word of promise. A moment of comfortable silence hung between them and he let loose a gentle sigh as he moved to take a seat in the empty armchair across from her. "I think a good cup of tea is in order, don't you?"

A soft laugh escaped Ana as she nodded. "Something a little stronger might be in order after the day I've had Stephen…" she said as she tiredly ran a hand through her copper brown curls, her gaze focused on a spot between her feet. She didn't notice that the doctor's gaze lingered on her and that the tension that had been on his face had eased into a soft smile…


	101. You're Leaving

_Tonight_

_My head is spinning_

_I need something to pick me up_

_I've tried but nothing is working_

_I won't stop_

_I won't say I've had enough_

_Tonight, I start the fire_

_Tonight, I break away…_

**Break** – Three Days Grace

-o-

Chapter 101: You're Leaving

"You're leaving."

Peter's voice greeted Ana that morning as she closed the door to her apartment and locked it, her duffel bag hanging off her right shoulder. He was heading for school and had probably been waiting for her to come out of her apartment for some time. It had been a week since the party and Ana had been maintaining her distance from her outings as Spider-Man's shadow. She had been hard at work with Wong and Strange on learning to control her abilities and learning the Mystic Arts. It had not been an easy endeavor and it was Strange who suggested that she take a break from training to see her family.

Letting out a gentle sigh, she turned around to face the teenager with a soft smile as she pocketed her keys. "Just taking a little trip. I miss my kids…"

There was a slight frown on Peter's face as his gaze flicked down to the duffel bag and then up to her, his posture was tense. "Mrs. H, if this was about that night, I'm sorry I-"

"No," said Ana as she shook her head and walked over to Peter, reaching out to place a hand against his cheek. "Do not think that. I am not leaving because of what happened that night. I have a few things I need to work on and I need time away to focus on that."

"Your studies?" He asked, his gaze flicking between hers, his posture still tense.

" _Oui,_ " she said with a nod as she pinched his cheek, chuckling as he frowned at her and leaned away from her touch. She dropped her hand as she took a step back. "I need to train and I need to focus. I can't help you if I can't help myself first. So, please don't do anything extraordinarily reckless while I am gone and don't hesitate to call me if you are in trouble. You know we can find each other now, ok?"

A slight smile appeared on his face at that reminder, feeling the mental link between Ana and him at that moment. He could feel her affection for him and the sisterly bond that Cin had formed was a strong one. It was reassuring to feel that link even though Ana would be away for a while. A slight feeling of guilt had bubbled up from within him as he watched Ana adjust the strap of her duffel bag, thinking back on what happened that night after he had left her at that park. He was tempted to tell her of his find, tempted at wanting to let her in at his recent discovery, but he felt he had done enough to cause her worry. Instead, he swallowed back the words and watched her as she looked at him with a sweet smile.

Ana had sensed the guilt through their link but she did not know the cause of it. Her first thought was because of what happened that night, so she didn't ask him why he felt guilty, thinking that night of the party was the reason. If she had it might have helped Peter in the long run to avoid the trouble that would ensue.

"Have a good trip Mrs. H," said Peter as he gave her a nervous smile. "I'll see you when you get back."

Ana laughed a little and nodded as she turned in the direction of where the elevator was. "Come walk down with me. Tell me all about what happened after the party."

Giving a quick nod in response, he moved to fall into step beside Ana, already regaling the tale of his sudden popularity at school because of his association with an Avenger. Ana could only smile fondly as she listened…

-o-

"Mama! Mama home!"

Those sweet words that reached her the moment she stepped in through the door was the best thing she had ever heard. Dropping her duffel bag on the floor, Ana did not hesitate to kneel and grab Luc and Beccie as they came barreling down the hallway from the living room.

"Hello, my sweet ones!" said Ana as she hugged her twins tightly and peppered them with kisses, the squeals of joyful laughter like music to her ears.

Behind her, Dr. Strange had entered the home and closed the front door, watching the scene with an amused smile on his face. He had never been a family man himself, had never thought of settling down since he had been too wrapped up in his career. Witnessing this domestic scene at this moment, he now could say he understood the appeal.

"Auntie Betty! Mama home!" Beccie said with an exuberant smile as she turned from her mother's embrace to smile up at Betty Ross, who had just arrived from the living room.

"So I see," she said, her smile filled with joy as she looked at Ana. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be home," said Ana as she smiled up at Betty, her relief and happiness clear on her face.

"Hello, Dr. Strange," said Betty as she turned her attention to the tall man. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Dr. Ross," said Strange as he turned his attention to the other woman. "How are things here? Was there anything else you needed to make things more comfortable for all of you?"

"No, no," said Betty as she raised a hand to stave the offer. "Everything is perfect, thank you, truly. For everything. You didn't have to go out of your way to do this for us."

"It's no problem," he said as he gave a kind smile. "Truly."

Ana laughed at that as she looked up at Strange, her deep brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "Of course it isn't. You'll just have me repay you by running me ragged during our training sessions."

"I don't run you ragged," he said as he glanced at her, his smile growing just a little. "The curriculum Wong has you working on would be to blame."

"It goes through your approval first Stephen," said Ana, tilting her head to the side as she raised a dark brown in question.

"… I plead the fifth," was all he said in response causing Ana to burst out laughing.

Betty watched the interaction with keen interest as her mouth formed a small "o" in realization, her blue eyes dancing between the two. This was something she hadn't been expecting…

"Is that my sister that I hear?" A deep voice spoke from the flight of steps to the left that led to the upper floor of the home. All eyes turned to find the tall and lean form of Erai making his way down, a smile of welcome on his face. "Ana, you made it back safely."

Ana released the twins and they immediately scampered over to Betty, now that the excitement of seeing their mother had worn off. They started to ask for snacks, each grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the kitchen. Betty laughed a little as she looked down at her godchildren and nodded. "Yes, yes, we'll get some snacks… Ray, could you bring Ana's bag up?" she asked, the twins already dragging her down the hallway.

"Actually, I can do it," said Ana as she stood up and went to hug Erai tightly in greeting. "I'm glad to see you are looking better Erai… How are you feeling?"

"I am well. Better than I had been a few weeks ago," he said as he pulled away and grasped her face in his large hands, his deep blue eyes flicking between her brown ones. "How is my twin? I sense a new link within the family. There is someone she has grown attached to."

Ana started to laugh as she nodded, reaching up to place her hands over his as her eyes gave a flash of a yellow glow. "My protégé, the one Tony has us watching out for?" At his nod of understanding, Ana continued, her smile growing sheepish. "Cin – Erin – has called him one of her own. You now have a new little brother to look out for."

Erai's loud laughter at that statement caused Ana to laugh with him, knowing the silliness of the situation.

"The family gets bigger," he said, once his laughter had died down. "It is a good thing to have these days. I am glad you have made such a connection. I fear with these days to come we are going to need all the joy we can…"

"Have you sensed something else Erai?" asked Strange as he drew his gaze from Ana to the Lyttan, the taller man's words having caught his attention.

Erai had caught the lingering glance of the doctor upon the woman in front of him and a spark of interest had caught with him. He had not seen such a glance toward his sister in quite a while and never from anyone other than her husband. He looked down at Ana as he removed his hands from her face, not seeing or feeling any sign of anything other than her love for him and their family. She was not aware of anything. How interesting…

"Nothing concrete," Erai said as he turned to face Strange. "A few lingering threads of darkness in my dreams and it is spreading throughout this reality. I know not the cause, but it is within our universe. Nothing else has revealed itself. I may need to contact the Lyttan council back on Asgard and see if they have had similar visions regarding potential threats."

Strange frowned as he studied Erai before looking at Ana. Ever since Ana and Erai had awoken from their healing sleep several weeks prior, Erai had been having dreams or visions of a lingering threat that was growing somewhere in the universe. He could not see it clearly and it was an ability that he had not had prior to Ana/Cin merging with him to save him back at that Mojave facility. It was something that only the oldest of their people were capable of harnessing- an ability to foresee and even predict possible threats to themselves and those within their fold. It was what had helped them to survive for so long in that dark realm with the Chitauri. Yet, for a Lyttan at Erai's age, it was nearly unheard of for the ability to spark. It seemed that Ana's merging with Erai and Cin had changed something within him.

"Have you had such visions, Ana?" asked Strange as he watched her reach down to grab her duffel bag from the floor.

" _Non,_ " she said as she swung the strap over her right shoulder, glancing at Strange as she did so. "Nothing other than my own worries over Peter and his recklessness. I don't think I'd be able to handle it as well as my brother." She frowned in concern as she looked up at Erai, her worry clear. "I'm going upstairs to unpack. All this talk of a growing darkness is leaving a sour taste in my mouth… Speaking of which," she smiled as she turned her gaze back to Strange, obviously trying to change the subject to something more appealing. "Have you any plans tonight? I'd feel terrible for you bringing me all the way here and not at least inviting you to stay for dinner."

Erai was studying the both of them, noting that Ana's smile was open and friendly but nothing more. Strange, on the other hand, had maintained a very good poker face when he had glanced at Ana but Erai had caught the sparkle of warmth in his eyes. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul and it couldn't have been truer than in this case. He had definitely caught the look of interest in the doctor's eyes. It would seem Erai's sister had gained an admirer and she wasn't even aware of it. That would certainly make things more interesting for Ana and Erin. He couldn't begrudge Dr. Strange for his interest – Ana was essentially a widow and available by this society's standards. She was a capable woman and had proven herself time and again that she would risk her own self to protect those she cared about. It was a trait that Erai often loved and hated about his twin. She would not think twice about risking all that she was for the sake of her family. That was how she had ended up as she had in the first place. Then again, they wouldn't have ended up with their family as it was now if it had not been for her choices.

"I didn't have any plans," said Strange in reply to Ana's offer. "If you insist, I would love to join you and your family for dinner. If that's ok with Erai and Betty?" He looked at Erai after he said this and Erai could see that question meant so much more than Strange had intended.

"You are welcome to stay for dinner Dr. Strange, it is of no consequence since Ana has invited you," said Erai as he gave a slight bow of his head. "It is the least we can do in thanks for all you have done for our family."

"Wonderful," said Ana with a bright smile. "Stephen, take off your cloak and make yourself at home. I'm going to unpack and get comfortable." Seeing his nod of acknowledgement, Ana's smile remained as she pulled Erai down to kiss his cheek before she turned on her heel and quickly made her way up the stairs.

Once she was gone, Erai had turned his attention to Strange and gestured to him to follow. "If you would not mind coming with me, Dr. Strange. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Curiosity taking hold, Strange gave a nod and waited for the Lyttan to lead the way. The Cloak of Levitation carefully undid itself from around Strange's shoulders and remained floating in a corner of the entryway. Once this was done, Erai made his way down the hallway, through the kitchen where Betty was making the twins a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and toward the back door of the home. When Erai had passed Betty, he had glanced at her and their gaze met. A feeling of love passed between their link and an inkling of suspicion from Betty's end. Erai had given a minute nod in confirmation and Betty was quick to bite back the smile that was threatening to break through. She focused on the sandwich in front of her, listening to the twins as they babbled away about Mama being home.

Strange had caught the interaction between the two but did not understand the cause of it. He simply chalked it up to the quirkiness of the family and their unique mental connection. He followed Erai out the back door of the home and out into the large, expansive land that stretched outward. Off in the distance, there was the sight of beautiful mountains and a clear blue sky. The house was situated on the edge of the opening to a valley, their land filled with a wide of expanse of green grass fields. A flock of sheep could be seen grazing lazily, a sheep herder and his dog keeping a keen eye on them. That sheep herder was in fact one of the masters of the Mystic Arts who had retired from the London Sanctum some years prior before its destruction. Strange had contacted him when Ana had first come to him and the man had agreed to help protect the family and keep them hidden. His own home was not too far across the way and he seemed to enjoy the family currently staying on his land.

Seeing the man keeping vigilance over the family entrusted in his care had given Strange some degree of ease and he continued to follow Erai as the Lyttan led the way toward a little garden with a bench that faced the view of the mountains. Once they reached the bench, Erai had come to a stop but did not sit down. Strange had come to a stop beside him and followed Erai's gaze out toward the view. They stood that way for a few moments, the silence a little tenser than Strange would have acknowledged.

Finally, Erai took in a breath and gestured his head back toward the house. "My family is important to me... Their safety is my priority above all else. This threat that lingers on the horizon... I worry of it. I know that your group maintains a watch over threats from other dimensions but what of this one?" He glanced at Strange, his deep blue eyes revealing his worries and fears. "What do you have planned when this threat finally comes knocking on our doorstep?"

Strange frowned at this as he glanced at Erai, his posture growing tense at the thought of another great threat coming to this world. "Odin of Asgard had directed me to find and help your sister. He felt that she had great potential but lacked the control. He told me if she could maintain better control of her abilities it would mean the difference between victory and defeat against whatever unknown threat our world may face."

"And you believe the All Father?"

"Training your sister these last few weeks, I see what he speaks of. Odin's own troubled history aside, he believes in the change Ana is capable of bringing. The Mystic Arts are something she - with the proper direction and training - can master at an unprecedented level. With her being partly human it helps a great deal but her Lyttan side means it is harder for her to control."

"Our people's strength is in our rage and fury," said Erai, a slight smirk appearing on the corner of his lips. "The less control we have, the stronger we are because of it. But I understand where you are coming from..." He sighed as he turned his gaze back toward the mountains. "I can only hope that Odin is correct in his assumption of my sister. She has already had so much placed on her shoulders. She longs for peace but there is always some battle that needs fighting. She always feels she has to be the one to protect those she loves which is why I remain to protect our family, so that she has one less thing to worry of. I failed her once in that and I do not intend to fail her again. My sister has her faults but she will do all she can to come out victorious. It wouldn't surprise me that she would be the difference in the tide of a battle."

"I've noticed she has a penchant for neglecting her own safety," said Strange as a small smile appeared on his goateed lips.

"There is a lot you notice about her, isn't there Dr. Strange?"

Strange had been caught off guard by that and he looked at Erai, a slight frown twitching between his dark brows. "I'm sorry?"

Erai studied the other man, seeing that Strange had not even been aware of his own interest towards Ana. Perhaps it was some subconscious attraction he had not even acknowledged. Either way, Erai felt it would be best if Strange heard some words of caution. "Tread carefully Dr. Strange... A Lyttan loves once and only once. Ana is not fully Lyttan so there may be a chance... I don't agree with it but it is not my place to say otherwise. Just... be mindful that her mate and husband may still be alive out there."

Realization dawned in Strange's blue-green eyes as what Erai was implying and he quickly shook his head as he raised a hand, looking as if he were trying to stop that train of thought. "No, no, no... You think that I...? That Ana and I...? No, absolutely not. There's no place for such a thing when studying to become a Master... We just happen to get along well, that's all."

A sparkle of amusement appeared in Erai's deep blue eyes as he turned toward the path back to the house. "Ah, so I see..." He started to walk back toward the house, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. "It's all right Dr. Strange... It's hard to ignore a potentially single female of Ana and Erin's repute. Just... think carefully on it before deciding on what path you will take."

Strange watched the Lyttan as he walked back to the house, a troubled frown on his face as he was left with Erai's last words bouncing around in his head...


	102. You've Been Keeping Your Distance

_I ain't afraid_

_To take too many steps out of line_

_So don't tempt me_

_With a good time..._

**Don't Tempt Me** \- Luke Combs

-o-

Chapter 102: You've Been Keeping Your Distance

"You've been keeping your distance from her," said Wong as he entered the room, his dark eyes focused on Strange, who was sitting at one of the tables in the study area of the New York Sanctum and perusing one of the ancient books.

The moment Wong had spoken, Strange had grown tense and a muscle ticked in his jaw. He closed his eyes as he listened to the other man walk toward the table before opening them to see Wong coming to a stop in front of him. "What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance as to what Wong was alluding to.

"I had thought you were a smart man Stephen," said Wong as he reached out to run his fingers over the tabletop and inspected his fingertips, checking for dust. "Perhaps I have been wrong in that assumption."

Strange grew tenser as he watched the other man inspecting the residue of light dust on his fingers. Another tick in his jawline. "Something was brought to my attention that I hadn't been aware of," said Strange as he focused his gaze back on his book. "It would be best for everyone involved if you take over her training."

Wong frowned lightly as he studied Strange. "Does it concern her?"

Strange cleared his throat as he flipped a page in his book. "It _is_ her."

The silence stretched between them for a long and uncomfortable beat before Wong let out a soft laugh, realization dawning. "Ah hah… So, you finally recognized your attraction to her?"

Strange's posture became rigid as he kept his gaze on his book, the words written on the page not registering with his mind. "There is no attraction, Wong. Between her brother and you, you both seem to be hell bent on bringing to life something that doesn't and shouldn't exist."

"My friend," Wong began, a gentle chuckle escaping him. "You seem hell bent on denying what even a blind man can see is in front of him. There is no shame in finding a healthy consenting adult such as Ana attractive. Why, if she were more my type and a little older, I would not hesitate."

"Are you serious?" Strange looked up from his book, his piercing eyes filled with disbelief at what he just heard his friend admit. "Wong, we're Masters of the Mystic Arts-"

"We are also human," Wong said, raising his dark brows as he made his point. "We're sorcerers Stephen, not monks. We defend the natural laws of this world and that includes defending the natural flows of lust and love. What goes on between two consenting adults is of no consequence. We defend the world from mystical forces that threaten it. That does not mean we are not allowed our own moments of happiness. Should it aid in serving the greater good, even better. Such practices are not forbidden nor frowned upon… Just strongly urged to remain discreet."

Strange frowned at this, confusion clouding his senses as he listened to Wong. Everything he thought he understood about being a Master of the Mystic Arts had just been pulled apart and thrown wide open. "I don't… Even if there was something there, it wouldn't- She's married…" he finished weakly, trying to think of any and all reasons as to why even thinking of Anamaria Banner in any other way than an apprentice was a bad idea.

"To a man who is suspiciously absent from her and their children's lives," said Wong as he folded his arms. "No one is forcing you to do anything Stephen… But distancing yourself from a positive temptation is not going to make the temptation itself disappear. You need to face it head on. Embrace it or at the very least acknowledge it."

Stephen focused his gaze back on his book, the look on his face a mix of confusion and deep thought. "Any other words of wisdom you'd like to impart, Wong?"

"Yes," he said as he leaned over to grab a hold of the book and closed it. "She's waiting for you in the Kamar Taj courtyard for her next lesson on hand to hand combat. I will remain here to guard the Sanctum while you see to her training."

Strange studied his friend for a heartbeat, wondering just why it was Wong was insisting on this matter. Ana was… All right, he could admit there was something about her that caught his attention. They got along well enough, her selfless nature in regards to her family was admirable, her enhanced abilities made things an interesting challenge for him, her quick deference to his advice during their lessons was a satisfying stroke to his old ego that lingered about – can't blame a man for that – and she wasn't bad on the eyes… Damn it, now he was thinking in the exact way he had been trying to avoid in the past week since he last saw her.

Seeing that the other man was not going to budge on the matter, he sighed heavily and pushed back his chair. "Fine," he said as he got to his feet, a deep frown on his face as he glared at Wong. "But there's nothing to acknowledge much less embrace." He turned and walked off, a few choice words escaping his lips at what he thought of this whole mess.

"I would have to disagree with you on that Stephen," Wong called out after him, a slight chuckle escaping as he watched Strange tensing up as he walked away. "She has the figure just right for embracing!"

"Shut it, Wong!"

Wong continued to laugh as he picked up the book. "As the Ancient One used to say my friend," he said to himself once Strange had left the study area and he turned the book over to look at the cover. "'Surrender, Stephen.' It may bring you some peace…"

About ten minutes later, Strange had arrived at Kamar Taj and when he stepped out onto the courtyard, it was to find his apprentice working with a group of others on the sling ring. Master Hamir, one of the Masters who was missing his left hand, was overseeing their training. Ana was in the front row and standing slightly apart from the others and it seemed for good reason.

The gateway she was conjuring was a deeper, fiery orange-reddish hue of vibrant sparks compared to the others and it seemed wild but it was little more controlled than the last time she had attempted it. The sparks that were flying from her fingertips, the sight of her crimson veins glowing with thermal energy, was more than enough to have the others be wary of her. She was radiating raw power and energy that seemed on the verge of exploding outward but she was managing to maintain control. Her body was rigid with purpose; the garb of an apprentice graced her form though the top half had been shed in favor of the cool breeze that was blowing. Thankfully, a black camisole covered from view anything that may have been inappropriate.

Strange's eyes inadvertently travelled over Ana's form and he quickly swallowed back the tightness in his throat. The inkling of lust that he had not even been aware of before now had hit him full force in the center of his gut.

 _Damn it, this was going to make things hard… Difficult! Make things difficult!_ He groaned at his inner thoughts as he took a hesitant step forward and then another, making his way toward Ana.

Master Hamir, having noticed that Strange was making his way to his chosen apprentice, had called her attention and pointed in Strange's direction. Her focus broken, she ceased in the circular motion of her right hand and the gateway she had been conjuring sizzled out of existence. She glanced at Master Hamir before she turned her attention to see Strange making his way toward her. Her bright smile in greeting at seeing him, the sparkle of friendly joy in her deep brown eyes, caused that inkling of lust in his gut to curl downwards. Ok, so maybe she wasn't just all bad on the eyes…

"Hi Stephen," she said, her accented voice making his name sound a little more exotic in a way he hadn't noticed before. "I was worried I'd not see you for a while yet. I'm glad you're here. Have you been all right?" She had walked toward him as she spoke and he noticed the gentle sway of her hips.

Ok, ok, he was attracted to her; he could acknowledge that at least.

"I'm fine," he said, managing to sound like his normal self despite the inner turmoil going on. "Thank you for asking. Had some things to take care of this week but I have a free moment to oversee your next lesson."

"Oh, that's wonderful," she said, her smile ever bright and sweet as she came to a stop in front of him and glanced up at him. "I've missed our lessons together. You and Wong don't hesitate to provide a challenge for me. The other Masters are good teachers but… a little reserved when it comes to my training."

"Ah, I'm sorry about that," he said, trying his best to keep his gaze from lingering further down past her neck. "If you feel up to it, Wong had some hand to hand combat planned."

Her eyes lit up with anticipation as she gave a nod, "Oh _oui!_ I would love that. I hadn't had a good spar in a couple of days. I feel rusty."

In spite of his inner turmoil, he managed a chuckle as he turned aside and gestured over to the opposite corner of the courtyard. "Well then, shall we?"

With a slight bow of her head, Ana smiled up at Strange before walking off ahead of him. He lost his inner battle and gave into the impulse to look, his gaze flicking downwards to watch the sway of her hips. He swallowed; this was going to be so hard… Difficult!

-o-

Ana managed to dodge a strike of Strange's energy whip as she slid to her right, her chest heaving heavily. She had left an opening to her right and he took advantage, striking out and catching her on the side of her torso. A fierce burn could be seen as the skin blistered up for just a moment before it healed over completely. She retaliated by conjuring what appeared to be several blades of fiery energy and flinging them his way, using it as a distraction as she ran toward him. He conjured a shield in each hand, blocking the blades with ease before he suddenly found his feet being swept out from under him and landing painfully on his back.

Ana was on top of him the next moment, her knee pressing against his chest as she held a blade of energy just over his neck. Her breaths were heavy as a flash of a yellow glow appeared in her brown eyes. "I win this round, Stephen."

"So it would seem," he said in reply, conceding to this one defeat in more ways than one, his own breath heavy as he waited for Ana to get off of him. She smiled as she got up, the blade of energy sizzling out as she reached down a hand to help him up. "You've gotten better this past week," he said as he took her hand and got up on his feet.

"Wong is a wonderful teacher," she said as she let go of his hand, her smile was exuberant. Her control had become much better in the last two weeks since she started focusing and it had shown in their recent sparring match. "I'm glad I was able to hold my own against you… even if you were holding back."

Strange laughed as he placed his hands on his hips, keeping his gaze focused on the ground. "Caught that, did you?"

Ana smiled in response but she noticed the way he was averting his gaze from her. In fact, he seemed rather distracted today… She took in a breath, intending on asking if he was all right, when her phone let out the chirping tone of AC/DC's _Shoot to Thrill._ Rolling her eyes at her brother's impeccable timing, she walked over to where she had pulled off the top half of her apprentice garb and dropped it on the ground. She reached down and rummaged around until she found her phone in one of its pockets. Pulling it out, she tapped on the screen and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello big brother."

"You sound out of breath," Tony's voice greeted her, the sound of a grin could be heard. "Having a little too much fun with your mystery teacher?"

Ana glanced over at Strange – noted that he had turned his back to her and was stretching out his back muscles – and a faint blush rose into her cheeks. She turned away as she started to walk off, trying to get a little privacy as she frowned. " _Mon dieu_ Tony, you know me better than that!"

His bark of laughter at her angry tone of voice calmed her down a little. "I know, I know … Your heart and soul belongs to the Big Guy, I get it. Nothing wrong with a little side action though, sis."

"Don't," she said, feeling the familiar ache in her heart. "Don't joke like that Tony. Please…"

"Hey, hey, it's ok," he said, "I'll stop... Can't blame me for wanting you to have some happiness. I hardly see you these days and Peter hasn't stopped bothering Happy about when you're coming back. I mean, you shut off your tracker which has me thinking you might be enjoying a little something on the side, ok?"

"I'm learning some new martial arts and techniques with a couple of masters. They're helping me gain better mental control but that is it," said Ana as she came to a stop beside a large tree in the middle of the courtyard. "I don't have the time for nor want to be dallying about with someone who I can't give my all to. It wouldn't be fair to them or me. Not if there's a chance he's coming back. If – when – Bruce decides to finally come home, I'll be there just like before."

Tony was silent on his end for a moment before he gave a heavy sigh. "Geez Ana… Make a guy feel awful for suggesting you have a little fun but can't deny you truly love that idiot."

"He's my idiot," she said with a warm smile. "And that doesn't mean I'm not going to beat the living shit out of him first for leaving us in the first place."

Tony's laughter was loud and Ana laughed a little with him. "There's my sister! I wouldn't expect anything less," he said before his laughter finally died down. "Anyway, I'm calling to let you know your protégé has been up to a few good deeds since you left. You might want to pick up the social media news. Give him a call at least, he misses his shadow."

Curious about what Peter had done this time, Ana glanced up at the tree, "I'll stop by; I needed to get a fresh change of clothes anyway. Was there anything else?"

"No kiddo just… I want you to be happy ok? I hate the thought of you being alone if-"

"Well it won't come to that now will it?" said Ana, forcing brightness in her voice. "If he doesn't come home then… I'll just have to find some way to him."

"We can't feel him anymore," he said, his voice a somber tone. "What if he's-"

"I have to go Tony, I'll call you when I get back to New York," she said and disconnected the call, the tears welling in her eyes. Even her brother was thinking along the lines that Bruce may be dead. She couldn't… He had to be alive somewhere, she just knew he had to be. Her lower lip trembled as the ache of grief in her heart seemed to open up all over again. She pressed her knuckles against her forehead as she took in a deep breath and then two, trying to gain some semblance of control back. She would not break down again… She was better than this.

"Ana, are you all right? Did you need help with something?"

She turned around to see Strange standing behind her, his blue-green eyes filled with concern. In his hand he carried the top half of her garb and he held it out for her to take. She gave a little nod as she quickly rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away any stray tears before she took the garment. "I'm fine… I have to head back the city. My protégé has been keeping himself busy. Would you mind if we call it a day?"

He frowned, his concern quite clear but he didn't say anything or pry into her business. He simply nodded. "Let me know when you're ready, I'll take you back."

"Thank you Stephen…"

He gave a slight smile in return to her thanks and turned a little as he watched her walk away before moving to follow behind her.


	103. Peter, Where Are You?

****

_Maybe I don't know responsibility_

_Maybe I'm done for_

_Loving all my dreams_

_(Just trying to find)_

_I'm floating on the stormy sea…_

**Mistakes** – Joy Again

-o-

Chapter 103: Peter, Where Are You?

"Peter, where are you?" Ana was pushing open the front door to the Midtown School of Science and Technology as she was making her way out onto the long sidewalk, her worry clear in her voice. "It's Mrs. H, I'm back in town, I was coming by to see you and you aren't at school. I spoke with Ned and he said you were supposed to be in detention. I just spoke with your aunt and she said the school notified her you left detention and the school grounds. If you don't call me back within the next ten minutes, I'm coming to find you."

Disconnecting the call, she quickly scrolled through her recent calls menu to dial out to Tony, her worry growing by the moment. She opened herself to the link between Peter and her, feeling an onslaught of nervous excitement, worry, and anxiety. Their link was pulling her toward New York Harbor… What the hell was he doing by the New York Harbor? As she rushed down the sidewalk and across the street to get to one of the nearby alleyways, Tony answered the line with his typical greeting when it was her.

"Hey kiddo," he said, the smile could be heard in his voice. The sound of a car engine and the honking of traffic could be heard in the background. He must have been on the road. "I was worried you didn't want to talk to me ever again-"

"Tony," she said, cutting him off as she reached into her pocket to pull out her sling ring. Cradling the phone against her neck, she slipped the ring on the two fingers of her left hand and clenched her fist. "I can't get a hold of Peter; he's not answering my calls. Would you call him? I know you programmed his suit, so it won't ignore your call."

"Sure, I was just about to call him about D.C… But what's going on?" Tony's voice was losing its humor as suspicion began to take its place. "Isn't he at school?"

"I don't know where he is," said Ana as she took her phone back in her right hand. "Call him, see what he tells you and then open up your link with the family. You'll feel him. I have this bad feeling I'm going to need your help."

"Yeah, I'll do that. He better not be doing something stupid," he said.

"You and me both, big brother, I'll see you soon," she said before they disconnected the call.

She pocketed her phone and glanced back to make sure she was not being followed as she dashed into the alleyway. Holding up her left hand and doing a circular motion with her right, a fiery gateway exploded into existence and spiraled into an opening. It was still slightly erratic in its form and the opening only wavered a little bit, but it was more secure than the first one she had made. She stepped through with little hesitation and closed the opening behind her, the fiery gateway sizzling out of existence. The moment the gateway closed she was greeted with a weapon just inches from her nose, the bearer of the weapon stopping short when he recognized Ana.

"You could have lost your head Ana," said Wong, dropping the weapon to his side as he straightened out of his stance. "You've gotten better with your sling ring I see. I would advise announcing your arrival prior to conjuring a gateway directly into the Sanctum."

"My apologies Wong," said Ana as she walked forward, her gaze searching the immediate area for Strange. "Have you seen Stephen? I need his help."

"Stephen was called away on another matter just shortly after you left," said Wong as he turned around, gesturing her to follow him further into the Sanctum.

"Oh," she said, a surprising jolt of disappointment threading its way through her before she shook it off as she followed him. "Well, perhaps you can help? Peter is not returning my calls and I sense he is somewhere on or nearby the New York Harbor. I don't trust my control yet to open a gateway to a place I've not been before. However, I have to get to him."

"I can pinpoint his direct location and open a gateway for you, but I will need time."

"Which is something I don't have," she said as she kept up with his surprisingly quick steps. "I have an idea on how to find him quicker… I just don't know how you would react to it."

"Is it dangerous?" he asked as he led her through the Sanctum and stopped before an ornate door. He turned to look at her, his dark eyes scrutinizing.

She stopped with him as she shook her head. "No, I've done it before. It just feels strange the first time."

Wong frowned lightly, studying Ana as he thought over her request, before he gave a quick nod. "I trust your judgement. Tell me, what does it entail?"

Ana brought up her right hand as her crimson veins grew up her forearm and toward her fingers, a deep red glow emerging. "Physical contact. Take a deep breath and relax. There will be too much information at first, but I will narrow it down to what you will need."

Eyeing her right hand with interest, Wong gave another nod in consent before Ana took a step forward and reached out to grasp the back of his neck. Her crimson veins emerged through her skin and attached to Wong's neck before they began to immerse beneath his skin. It was the strangest sensation Wong had ever experienced, it wasn't painful, but it was different. His eyes were closed tightly as the temporary mental link was made and Wong could feel the pull of Peter's link with Ana, pulling her in the direction of where he was. After a few minutes, Ana released Wong and her crimson veins were pulled back into her body, Wong's own skin having healed over by her healing factor.

He stumbled slightly as his mind adjusted to the new information he had been given and his dark eyes were wide as he looked at her. "That was… I had never experienced such a thing in all my time as a Master. To be able to feel such a mental pull toward one of your own… You could find them no matter the distance."

"Will you be able to open a gateway to where he is?" she asked, her worry growing.

"Easily," he said with a smile as he straightened up. "I still feel the residual pull… Incredible. I am very curious. When you return, can we explore this mental link with your family further?"

Ana smiled as she gave a quick nod. "Yes, of course. No knowledge is forbidden, right?"

"Right," he said with a soft chuckle before he slipped in his sling ring and opened a gateway, the yellow sparks were calm and controlled, the opening solid. The sound of a ferry horn could be heard and the smell of the New York Harbor wafted on the breeze that flowed through.

"He's on the ferry," Ana muttered in disbelief before she turned to Wong. "Thank you, Wong."

"Go," he said as he nodded to the gateway.

She smiled at him before she turned and went through the gateway, the opening closing behind her in a flurry of yellow sparks.

-o-

"Mr. Parker, got a sec?"

Peter felt his anxiety rise as Tony Stark's call came through to his line, a small video feed showing up in his line of vision in his mask. "I'm actually at school-"

"No, you're not," said Karen, Peter's AI to his suit. Thankfully, Tony could not hear her.

"Nice work in D.C," said Tony, looking away at something off screen.

Peter's gaze was focused on the other video feeds in his line of vision, video feeds of men who Peter suspected were a part of the alien weapons ring he'd been tailing for the last two weeks. "OK," said Peter, sounding distracted.

"My dad never really gave me a lot of support," said Tony, looking and sounding tense about something. "And I'm trying to break the cycle of shame."

"I'm in the middle of something-"

"Don't cut me off when I'm complimenting you. Anyway, great things are about to-" The sound of the ferry's horn echoed loudly around Peter. "What is that?"

"Ah," Peter glanced around, moving slightly from his perch on the second deck of the ferry. "I'm at band practice."

"That's odd," said Tony, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Happy told me you quit band six weeks ago. What's up?"

"I gotta go," said Peter as he straightened up from his crouched position, seeing that the men were on the move. "End call!" He said, ignoring Tony's "Hey" as the call was abruptly cut off.

"I'll take those," he said as he shot out a stream of webbing and managed to catch a ring of keys from one of the men. "Yoink!" He pulled back the webbing and caught the keys as they swung his way. He then jumped down from his perch and landed on the deck where the parked cars were located. He landed right in the middle of the group of men he had been tailing, who were looking as if they were about to start on their meeting. "Hey guys, the illegal weapons deal ferry was at 10:30. You missed it!" He shook the keys in a taunting manner.

He saw two of the men reaching toward their sides and pulled out their pistols, aiming them toward him. He shot out more webbing, which attached to the men themselves as well as a motorcycle and he pulled a little harder than he intended. The men and the motorcycle flew through the air and slammed against one of the support pillars to the upper deck. A third man had gotten caught and was thrown back over the edge of the deck and he clung to the edge as he let out a shout in pain from the impact.

"Are you guys ok?" Spider-Man asked as he winced slightly at their impact. "My bad. That was a little hard." He noticed an African-American man, the same one from the night of the party who had been by the bridge, was powering up his electric gauntlet. The man rushed forward and Spider-Man dodged out of the way just in time. The man punched through the metal gate of the deck and got his gauntlet stuck, he gritted his teeth as he tried to remove it but Spider-Man had shot out some webbing, sticking him to the gate.

"I gotta say the other guy was way better with that thing. Honestly, I'm – I'm shocked."

The sound of something slamming against a car hood and the pained grunt of a man caught his hearing. Spider-man turned around and saw a man in the distance that was standing beside a white van. Another man was unconscious at his feet and the man who was standing beside the white van was staring back at him, a slight sneer on his thin lips. He was a middle aged balding Caucasian man with thin white hair that looked bedraggled. He was the man that Karen could find no record of in the criminal database. They stared at one another for a moment before Spider-Man was about to run forward...

"Freeze!" The sudden shout from a man that that emerged from a door in the upper deck caused Spider-Man to jump in surprise. "FBI! Don't move!" More men began to emerge from the upper deck and doorways that led further into the ferry, their weapons drawn as they aimed it at Spider-Man and the men behind him. "Get on the ground!"

"FBI?" he asked, confusion coloring his voice. "What do you mean, FBI?"

"FBI," began Spider-Man's AI in his ear. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation-"

"I know what the FBI is," he said as he held up his hands. "What are they doing here?!"

The sound of a loud engine and tearing metal filled the air, and everyone glanced back to see something was ripping its way out of the white van. It was a pair of large, very flexible metal wings with large propellers that gave it its propulsion. They were attached to the back of the man Spider-Man had seen. He was the Vulture man from that night of the party. He was brandishing one of his own alien tech weapons and he was flying down the corridor of the parking deck.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!" Spider-Man cried out as he pushed one of the FBI agents out of the way just as the Vulture had let loose a beam of purple energy from his weapon. It burned a hole through the gate, narrowly missing Spider-Man but the Vulture didn't stop. He kept on flying down the corridor and grabbed one of the cars with the metal claws that were attached to his boots. He picked up the car as if it weighed nothing and hurled it toward the fleeing agents. Spider-Man had thrown one of the men out of the way before the car had managed to hit him and throw him against another support pillar. The car went sailing over the edge of the deck, taking the man who had been hanging there with it down toward the water.

The Vulture shot out a beam of energy toward his apparent colleague, who had been stuck to the metal gate, and it burned off the webbing. The man stood up and looked up at the Vulture. "Get to the top deck," the man in the air said, his voice enhanced by the mask he wore. "We're getting out of here."

The other man didn't need telling twice as he made a run for it. Spider-Man had attempted to shoot out some webbing to tangle the fleeing man, but the Vulture had shot another energy beam, tearing through the webbing. Spider-Man shot out a stream of webbing toward the Vulture and what ensured was a terrible game of balance as Spider-Man attempted to get the Vulture stuck in his webbing but also ensure that not of the agents would get hurt. The Vulture had shot his weapon at the agents, who had dodged it, but the energy beam had torn through the walls of the ferry and into the passenger area, narrowly missing a few civilians.

Spider-Man had shot out a stream of webbing toward the weapon this time and it caught. The Vulture attempted to pull it out of the webbing but he only pulled the webslinger to slam against a support pillar. "Activate taser web!" he called out and his AI had activated the electric pulse of his webbing that was stuck to the weapon. The electrical pulse reacted terribly with the weapon and the man's wings, causing sparks to fly and the man to let go of the weapon. Spider-Man was thrown back from the force of his pull, the weapon flying back with him and landing on the car deck. It let out a fierce whine as it started shooting off in different directions, clearly becoming unstable.

Spider-Man, not knowing what to do, quickly smothered the weapon in webbing, trying to keep it from shooting further and causing any more damage.

"You're messing with things you don't understand," the Vulture called out to him just before he started hovering away from the immediate area.

Spider-Man glanced up at the man in the air, about to retort, when a flurry of yellow sparks appeared in the air beside him. He took a step back in surprise as the flurry of sparks spiraled and a portal opened in thin air. He let out a curse in surprise as a person he had not been expecting to see stepped out of the portal. He felt his heart drop a thousand feet as Mrs. H appeared beside him, a deep frown of anger on her face as a snarl escaped her lips, her brown eyes disappearing beneath a yellow glow. The portal had closed behind her and it was at that moment that the weapon that Spider-Man had smothered with webbing let loose a wild shot. The energy beam hit Mrs. H square against her left side and she was thrown back against a car that had been stuck against a support pillar.

"Mrs. H!" He called out in panic and he was about to run toward the woman when the weapon let out another whine, this one of a higher pitch. It started to glow bright with purple light before it exploded, rays of purple energy beams firing up and to the side in a vertical line, tearing through the upper decks and hull of the ferry. The Vulture didn't waste time, narrowly avoiding one of the beams as he made his escape, turning around to grab his colleague who had jumped off the top deck.

There was low groaning as water began to burst through the rips in the hull and the boat began to slide apart, the explosion from the weapon having torn the entire boat vertically in half. The sound of screams and the heavy groaning of metal tearing set Spider-Man into panicked action. He had his AI run a scan on the boats support structures and quickly swung into the heart of the gap to set off web after web, web grenades, anything and everything he had in his arsenal to keep the boat from falling apart. He went along the length of the gap until he reached the other end of the ferry and landed on a crouch along the top deck, his breathing heavy.

"Great job Peter," said Karen, his AI as he straightened out of his crouch. "You are ninety eight percent successful." A scan of the ferry revealed he had missed a support structure.

"Ninety-eight?"

"Yeah Spider-Man!" A man called out from below, breaking through the still screaming crowds...

A web snapped and then another.

Soon all the webbing was snapping one after another and Spider-Man was panicking even worse. "No! No, no!" He cried as he jumped out into the gap, grabbing two pieces of snapped webbing in a vain attempt to hold the boat together…

An inhuman scream of rage echoed throughout the expanse of the gap and Spider-Man felt the first true taste of fear in his heart. More screams could be heard from the passengers as glowing orange-red light emerged from the below. There was a rumbling sound as the water around the ferry began to churn violently, bubbling with heat and pressure. Spider-Man risked a glance down and he could see Mrs. H – Cin – was in her fully enraged state however her left side was charcoal black, and it looked like she was struggling with her healing factor. It didn't deter her though and she was dragging her red claws and feet along the bottom parking deck, knocking cars aside in her rage. Her body was radiating intense heat as the metal of the deck heated up to molten red liquid. It flowed along behind her, boiling away any water that was coming through but cooling quickly because of it, sealing the bottom of the boat. The groaning had stopped slightly but the boat was still pulling apart, the weight of the water it was still taking on causing it to split further.

Spider-Man was thankful that Cin was there, but he didn't know how long he could hold on…

"What the hell?" he muttered as the boat slowly began to come together, easing the tension he had been put through. He let go of the webbing and landed on the upper passenger deck, looking around and stopping in shock when he caught sight of familiar red and gold armor peeking in through a window.

"Hi Spider-Man," came Tony Stark's voice as the Iron Man raised his head to look straight at Spider-Man. "Band practice, was it?" He was pushing the side of the ferry and a series of little rockets were flying toward it, quickly sticking to the sides and helping to push the ferry back together. From beneath, Cin had leapt from the bottom deck and was sealing the gap of each floor with her heat, slowly manipulating the molten metal and rapidly cooling it as she went. She made her way to the outside of the ferry just as Iron Man had pushed the sides completely together. She was helping to seal up the gap from the outside just as Iron Man went to finish sealing the other side for her.

"Yeah Iron Man! Mrs. Hulk!" cried the same man from before and soon there was more cheering as it looked like the ferry was finally stable.

Moving quickly, Spider-Man ran toward the end of the passenger deck and leapt over the side, shooting out some web to pull himself up along the side of the ferry. "Mrs. Hulk? Uh, Mr. Stark?" He slung a web and climbed to the top of the ferry where he found Cin and Iron Man sealing up the last of the gap. "Can I do anything! What do you want me to do!"

"I think you've done enough," said Iron Man as he shot out a piece of strong cable to wrap around the top portion of the ferry, nearly hitting Spider-Man with it, before turning and flying off to inspect the rest of the ferry.

Cin was growling and she finished the last of her side of the ferry before her piercing yellow eyes focused on Spider-Man, who was perched further down from her. He looked up at her and he felt his worry grow to full blown panic as he saw that the left side of her torso in which she had been shot had not healed any better than before. She seemed to be struggling as her hold on the side of the ferry wavered and her body trembled. Her glowing eyes dimmed, and she let out a low, pained moan as her head rolled back and she fell.

"Mrs. H!" Spider-Man shot out a web, trying to catch her but missed in his agitated state. "No!"

She fell for a few aching heartbeats before Iron Man had swooped in and caught her.

There was no mistaking that Tony Stark was angry as the Iron Man's head focused its gaze on Spider-Man, not saying a word. Instead, he turned and flew off, taking the unconscious Mrs. Hulk with him. Spider-Man was left alone on the top of the ferry, the sound of sirens piercing in the distance as rescue boats made their way to the ferry.


	104. The Pain on Her Side

_I have regrets_

_Regrets for my mistake_

_In thinking only of myself_

_All I have left_

_Are these regrets…_

**Regrets** – Kenny Rankin

-o-

Chapter 104: The Pain on Her Side

The pain on her side was just a little bit above her tolerance threshold as she came to, the sound and feel of the whipping wind around her alerting her to the fact that she was currently airborne. She let out a slight hiss as she tried to move and the familiar arms of the Iron Man suit held her tight.

"Don't move," came Tony's voice just above her ear. "You took a serious hit back there."

Ana could hear the tension in his voice as she glanced up at Iron Man before she looked over his shoulder, seeing that they were fleeing the scene of the ferry. She felt a stab of worry as she glanced up at Iron Man. "Is Peter-"

"The kid's fine," said Tony, his tone of voice short and to the point as he flew them over the harbor and toward a warehouse building on the dock. "Can't say the same for you." He landed on the roof of the building and carefully lowered her down to her feet. "Think you can stand?"

"I'm fine," said Ana as she held onto Iron Man's arm, her legs trembling slightly as she slowly straightened. She let out a cry of pain and reached over to hold her left side, the feeling of the charred, brittle skin catching her by surprise. She looked down at her side as confusion touched her features. It was quite apparent that her body was trying to heal itself but the burned and dead flesh from where she had been hit would not heal.

"You're not fine," said Tony, his tone growing anxious as he reached out to support her. "You got hit by that laser light show that torn the boat in half! I'm surprised you weren't torn in half yourself!" His voice wavered slightly as the mask slid away and revealed her brother's strained face. "What were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is that it?! Are you on some suicide pact with this mystery friend you've been studying with?!"

"What? _Non_! I got shot, it was an accident! I'm not trying to kill myself-"

"It sure as hell seems like it!" he shouted, his voice growing firm as his hazel eyes bore into hers. "Ever since the Mojave incident, you've been disappearing! Going off to who knows where, doing who knows what! I don't see you anymore! When I do it's always some crisis to do with that kid and you're always _this_ close to getting yourself killed!" He held up his hand to his neck and made a slicing gesture, his face tense. "This isn't the first time! You've _always_ put yourself on the line to save our family from threats. I never said anything about it before because you always let me be there to support you. Now, I feel like I don't know you anymore. I can't deal with this Ana! You need to stop this! Whatever this is that's going on, you need to stop!" He took in a breath, his hazel eyes flicking between hers. "Jenn's already lost Sido… Luc and Beccie lost their dad... We can't lose you too."

Ana stared up at her brother as the tears welled in her eyes, not even realizing that she had been nearly suicidal in her attempts at making sure Peter was safe. She blinked and glanced down, the truth of Tony's words hitting to the heart of her. She gave a little nod as she slowly and carefully straightened, pulling herself from his grasp. "Y-you're right… You're right… I've been careless." She winced as she took a step back from him, holding up a hand to keep Tony from helping her. "I'm going home… Tell Peter… Tell him I'll see him later…"

"You don't have to worry about watching over him anymore. I'm putting a stop to all of this. This was the last chance," said Tony, watching as Ana slowly turned away from him. "As of today, you're no longer his mentor."

"Cin wouldn't agree with you," said Ana, a slight smile on her face as she managed to locate her sling ring in her tattered and soaked clothing. It miraculously survived the entire incident; the same thing couldn't be said for her phone. She slipped the ring on her left forefingers as she glanced back at her brother. "That's her little brother after all… Can't get rid of family, no matter what mistakes they make… right?"

She didn't wait for Tony to respond as she held out her left hand, wincing from the pain of her side, and started the circular motion with her right. A gateway spiraled into existence with fiery sparks, the opening wavering due to Ana's lack of concentration. However, she could see the entryway of the New York Sanctum on the other side.

"How are you doing that-" Tony began but Ana shook her head, interrupting him.

"I'll tell you another time," said Ana, glancing back at him. "I need to go home. I'll call you later Tony…"

She stepped through the gateway, ignoring his calls of "Wait!" before the fiery portal closed behind her, the sparks sizzling out.

-o-

The moment the fiery portal faded from existence, Tony let out a curse and turned on the spot, his helmet sliding back over his face. He had no idea how Ana was capable of doing that but it looked like he was going to have to wait until she contacted him. This entire situation was beyond just being a simple mess. His sister had been seriously hurt and she refused any sort of help from him. She didn't talk to him about what she was doing, where she was or who she was with. He had no idea what was going on with her and to say he was worried was an understatement. He had no way of tracking her down because wherever she disappeared to it was nowhere on his radar and nowhere in the vicinity of the city. She had shut her tracker off so he couldn't simply follow her and now that he saw how she was getting around as she did he wondered just what new powers she had gained. Whatever it was, it had changed her and it wasn't for the better.

Since she started mentoring Peter, she had been on this single minded crusade of making sure the boy didn't do anything to hurt himself or others. Since the first incident two weeks ago, she had maintained a distance from Peter but she also maintained her distance from Tony. Now that Tony knew that Peter had been pulled into the fold of the family's mental link, he could understand a little better why she was acting as she was, but it still did not make the situation at hand easier.

He was feeling less than pleased toward the kid that Cin now called her little brother. As far as he was concerned, Peter hadn't done anything to deserve being called one of the family, not after this stunt he had pulled. His anger was still boiling as he took off into the air to head back to the ferry to oversee the cleanup and rescue of the civilians. There was going to have to be a lot of PR to oversee…

-o-

Ana stumbled as she exited the portal, swaying over to the right side before she collapsed to the floor.

"Ana!"

She heard rushing footsteps and glanced up to see Strange and Wong rushing down the staircase and to her side.

"What happened?" asked Strange, his tone urgent and worried as he kneeled down beside her, his gaze focused on the blackened skin of her left side. "Who did this?"

"Mishap… on the ferry," she said, gritting her teeth as both men leaned down to help her up. "I need to go home. Need Erai's help."

"You can't travel in this condition," said Wong, a deep frown settling over his features. "It's a miracle you made it here in one piece. We'll bring him here." He looked over at Strange as he gently pushed Ana toward him. "Stephen, put her in one of the guest rooms. I'll go and fetch her brother."

Strange took her, being mindful of her left side, as he nodded to Wong. "I got her, just go."

Wong gave one last lingering look of worry to Ana before he turned on his heel and ran off deeper into the Sanctum.

Strange sighed as he glanced down at the woman beside him. "A mishap, huh?"

She winced as she nodded, still feeling guilt and regret after everything Tony had shouted at her. "I was careless… Peter went off on his own after a weapons dealer of the alien tech. I went off after him and got caught in the blast of their weapons malfunctioning."

"There's more to it than that," he said as he gently adjusted his hold around her. "Your body should have healed by now… Hold on, you're going to feel a little dizzy but it's the quickest way."

Ana gave a small nod at his request and tightened her grasp on his clothing before a swooping feeling overcame her. The next moment they were standing in a rather plain bedroom with wood paneled walls, a full sized bed with a nightstand and lamp to one side. Strange carefully helped her to sit down on the bed.

"Start from the beginning," he said, his tone gentle as he kneeled down. "Tell me everything that happened."

Ana felt her throat grow tight as the emotions began to overwhelm her and she started to talking, telling him everything…

-o-

The sun was setting and Peter was sitting on the edge of a rooftop near the harbor, his face tense with guilt, worry and anxiety. His feet were dangling over the edge, his mask held loosely in his hands at he stared at the ferry in the distance. The sound of thrusters reached his ears and he tensed up, already knowing who it was.

"Previously on _Peter Screws the Pooch_ ," said Tony as the Iron Man hovered down from the sky to a spot several feet from the right of where Peter was sitting. "I tell you to stay away from this. Instead, you hacked a multimillion dollar suit so you can sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do!"

"Is everyone ok?" Peter asked, his voice thick from the tightness of his throat as he glanced back at Iron Man.

"Everyone survived to live another day," said Tony, his voice hard.

"What about Mrs. H?" He turned around to glance at Iron Man, his worry clear. "She got shot by one of those weapons-"

"She's alive," said Tony as the Iron Man suit landed on the roof. "Can't say I know how she is seeing as she disappeared on me."

Peter frowned lightly as he looked out at the water. "She's ok though, right?"

"No thanks to you," said Tony in reply.

"No thanks to me?" Peter glanced back at the Iron Man, a mixture of anger and guilt welling up inside of him. He pulled himself up from the edge and landed on the roof, walking angrily toward Iron Man. "Those weapons are out there and I _tried_ to tell you about it but you didn't listen!" He pointed out toward the ferry in the distance as he came to a stop in front of Iron Man, glaring up at him. "None of this would've happened if you had just _listened_ to me!" He let out a huff of breath as he shook his head, taking a step back. "If you even cared, you'd actually be here."

The Iron Man suit opened up all the way, revealing Tony Stark's visage.

Peter felt his anger quickly fade as he stumbled back while Tony took a step down form the Iron Man suit, which remained hovering behind them. He was dressed in a dark suit, his dark hair looking slightly disheveled after recent events, and he sniffed, staring down at Peter with an unreadable look in his hazel eyes.

"I did listen kid," he said, "Who do you think called the FBI huh?" He took another step forward, standing almost a good foot taller than Peter and using that to his advantage. "Do you know Ana and I were the only ones who believed in you? _Everyone_ else said I was crazy to recruit a fourteen year old kid-"

"I-I'm fifteen-" said Peter, his voice shaking slightly.

"No, no, this is where you _zip_ it, all right?" Tony said, his anger becoming clear. "The adult is talking!" He gestured out to the water. "What if somebody had died tonight? What if Ana-" He paused and bit his lip, closing his eyes to keep those words from slipping out. He let loose an angry huff as he focused his gaze back in Peter. "It's a different story, right? Because that's on you." He pointed to Peter as he shook his head. "And if you died? Well…" He pointed to himself as he took a step back. "I feel like that's on me... I don't need that on my conscious."

"Yes sir," said Peter, nodding quickly. "I'm sorry, I understand-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it," said Tony, his form growing tense. "And's not me you should be apologizing to but to the woman who damn near got herself _killed_ trying to watch out for you."

The guilt stabbed Peter worse than before at that, the thought of Mrs. H being seriously hurt wounding a part of his heart. He didn't realize just how much he had grown to care for his mentor and the thought of her nearly dying because of him…

"I-I just wanted to be like you two," he said as he looked up at Tony, the unshed tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. Bitter anger clawed inside, hatred at himself for showing such weakness in front of the older man.

"And I wanted you to be better," Tony said in reply as he slipped a hand into his coat pocket. He glanced away as he gave a slight shake of his head. "Ok! It's not working out." He looked back at Peter. "So, I'm gonna need the suit back."

Peter felt his heart drop and the anxiety grow high. "What? For how long?"

"Forever," said Tony in reply, nodding at the stricken look on the boy's face. "Yeah, that's how it works."

"No, no," said Peter, shaking his head slightly. "Please."

"Let's have it," said Tony, looking away as he waited for what Peter had to say.

"Please, this is all I have," said Peter, trying to get him to understand. "I'm nothing without this suit."

Tony frowned as he took a step forward and pointed at Peter's chest. "If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it, ok?" He scoffed as he shook his head and took a step back. "God, I sound like my dad."

"I don't have any other clothes," Peter said, his tone and posture one of defeat as he looked away from Tony.

"Ok, we'll sort that out," said Tony, his entire demeanor uncaring toward the boy in front of him.

And just like that…

It was all over.

-o-

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ana?"

Erai was studying his sister with worry, watching her as she struggled into a sitting position on the bed.

"Yes," said Ana as she nodded. "We've done it before, remember?"

"I wasn't aware of myself at the time," he said in reply, a frown of concern on his face. "We were lucky it worked that time. What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't," she said as she looked at Strange and Wong, who were standing behind Erai. "But in case it does, Stephen and Wong will be here." She looked back at Cin's twin, her smile gentle as she reached out to touch his cheek. "I'm not strong enough to heal this wound on my own…"

"You're training in these Mystic Arts has changed something in you," said Erai, glancing over at Strange and Wong in question. Neither man had the answer as to why Ana's healing factor was not working properly.

"She was struck with the power source of an alien device," said Wong, "Perhaps it was part of an original design intended to do your people fatal harm."

"Perhaps," Erai said, nodding in agreement. "Ana is not fully Lyttan. I would need to see an example of this weapon to get a better understanding. Until then," he sighed as he looked at Ana. "I trust you Ana. I trust Erin. If you both feel this would work to speed along your healing, then I will do it. Just… let us be careful."

Ana nodded before she looked at the other men, her smile wavering slightly from the pain. "Thank you…"

Strange and Wong nodded, conjuring shields in preparation of the merging of the Lyttan siblings…


	105. There Was No Word

_I am still here waiting_

_I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best_

_Like you've already figured out_

_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barely breathing_

_With a broken heart_

_That's still beating_

_In the pain…_

**Broken** – Lifehouse

-o-

Chapter 105: There Was No Word

There was no word from Ana.

Not a call, not a text, not even an inkling of an emotion through their familial link.

Two days after the ferry incident and Tony had not seen hide or hair of Ana.

He was beyond the point of being angry at his sister, he was worried. Terribly worried.

He had been debating with himself on whether to let her come to him or if he should go and find her. She had been terribly wounded and she had not healed from it from last he saw before she disappeared through that fiery portal. It had finally gotten to the point that Jenn had come to him in his office that morning at the Avengers compound, her own worry and concern for her niece driving her to speak up.

"I cannot sense her through our link," said Jenn as she came to a stop in front of Tony's desk, watching him as he got up from his desk. "There is a pull to where she is but it's faint." She folded her arms across her chest, a frown on her face as a shattered breath escaped her. She had been crying. "We have to find her Tony; we can't wait for her to come to us."

Tony had been pacing the length of his office as he ran his fingers over and over his goatee. "I'll find her," he said as he stopped in front of Jenn, glancing at her. "I'll find her and I'll bring her back. This has gone on long enough."

Jenn nodded her agreement, her pale blue eyes brimming with unshed tears as she reached up to run a hand through her loose black hair. "She's changed Tony… Whatever has been going on with her this past month, it has changed her. She no longer talks to us, she doesn't trust us to know where Luc and Beccie are, she disappears for days on end... and then the incident with the ferry happens! Her body is more than capable of healing from such an attack, I just…"

"I know Jenn," Tony moved over to her to place a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this…"

The sound of sizzling caught their ear and they looked over to see a flurry of yellow sparks spinning in midair above Tony's desk.

"What…?" Jenn frowned as she turned to face the desk. "What is that?"

Tony recognized the flurry of sparks right away, seeing it was similar to the portal that Ana had created before she disappeared. As he suspected, the flurry of sparks opened to reveal a small portal and a piece of parchment fluttered down to the desk, the portal closing and the yellow sparks fading. Tony didn't hesitate to walk over to the desk to grab the parchment, flipping it over to see elegant script in dark ink that stated:

_Mr. Stark and Ms. DuPont,_

_Please come as soon as possible._

_177A Bleecker St_

He flipped the note to the other side but there was nothing else on it, no signature or monogram of any identifying type.

Jenn had moved over to look over Tony's shoulder, staring down at the note. "How did that…? Where did it come from?" She looked at Tony as he stared down at the address.

"It's where Ana is," said Tony as he studied the note before he glanced at Jenn. "It's in the city. I know the neighborhood well enough."

"Wait, Tony," Jenn reached out to take the note from his hand and glanced at the writing. "We don't know how it even got here or who it came from. Can we trust the sender of this message?"

"Ana hasn't been completely open with us about what she's been doing," said Tony. "But she's never lied. She told me she's been studying martial arts and techniques under some masters. She said it was to gain better mental control. After the ferry, Ana had managed to create a larger portal very similar to the one that note came through before she disappeared." He pointed to the note in Jenn's hand. "This is the first message we've gotten in two days. I'm not gonna ignore it."

Jenn hesitated as she studied the note, looking as if she were having an internal battle, before she let loose a heavy sigh. " _Bien…_ I see your point. But, we need to be careful. I'll let Vision know we're leaving."

Tony nodded before he pulled out his phone to call Happy to pull the car around. He had a little sister to find…

-o-

177A Bleecker St was a large townhome situated in Greenwich Village in New York.

It was the kind of building with unique architecture, especially the large round window on the top floor, but nothing else screamed out of the ordinary about it. In fact, Tony had the distinct feeling that a good portion of the people who lived near or passed by this building didn't realize it was here. He doubted he would have looked twice at this building if he hadn't been given the address. Something different was a play here and he knew this was the place his sister had been disappearing to all these weeks.

As he climbed the steps to the wooden front doors, Jenn following closely behind him, he pulled out the piece of parchment from his pocket and glanced down at the note. He looked up and spotted an old bronze sign nailed to the brick right beside the door that stated the same address. This was the place.

"Is this it?" asked Jenn as they stopped in front of the wooden doors. "Doesn't seem like much, does it?"

"You feel it though, right?" Tony glanced at her, his hazel eyes flicking between hers. "The pull to Ana is leading us right here. I can feel it stronger now that we're closer. She's in there."

Jenn frowned as she concentrated on her familial link to Ana, sensing the faint pull did indeed feel stronger now that they were here. Her frowned cleared as a hopeful smile appeared. " _Oui,_ I feel it. Let's not wait further."

"Don't need to tell me twice," said Tony as he raised a hand to knock once, twice, three times on the wooden door. On the third knock, there was a swooping feeling in the pit of his stomach and the feeling as if his ears were about to pop from sudden pressure. The soft gasp from Jenn beside him meant she had felt the same exact thing at the same moment. It only lasted for a split second before the feeling disappeared and they suddenly found themselves standing in a large entryway before a grand staircase. They stumbled slightly from the sudden and strange shift in location, both glancing around at their new surroundings with suspicion.

"Mr. Stark and Ms. DuPont, I presume?"

Tony and Jenn whirled around at the sound of the deep voice and found a very tall, Caucasian man standing in front of the staircase. He was donned in rather strange clothing and a deep red cloak was settled about his shoulders that seemed to flutter as if it had a life of its own. His piercing blue-green eyes flicked between the two, a slight frown twitching between his brows. When his gaze had settled on Jenn, a look of curiosity at the sight of metal melded with then flesh of Jenn's face skimmed past his features.

"Depends on who's asking," said Tony as he tensed up, carefully situating himself between the mysterious man and Jenn. He rubbed the fingers of his right hand together, which lingered above the trigger button to his Iron Man suit. If something should go down, he would be ready.

The man's gaze focused back on Tony, noting the defensive stance, and he threw back his cloak, showing that he had no visible weapons. "My name is Dr. Stephen Strange."

"Dr. Strange?" Jenn questioned, a look of recognition passing over her face.

"Seriously? That's his name?" asked Tony as he glanced at her.

"Believe it or not, yes. He is – was – a very acclaimed neurosurgeon," said Jenn as she studied the other man with keen interest. "My sister had exchanged emails with him a number of years ago regarding my condition. This was long before we met you... She described him as a pompous, arrogant, prat. He suffered a car accident some time ago and then disappeared. I haven't heard anything else about him."

Doctor Strange's lips thinned as he looked away, looking a little embarrassed by that poor if accurate description of his former self. "Dr. Sidonie Brandt… I remember her. She was a well-known geneticist in her field. I'm sorry I left such a poor impression on her." He focused his gaze back on Jenn. "If I'd known just how our paths would cross, I would've paid more attention instead of dismissing your case." He sighed as he shook his head. "But that's neither here nor there. Right now, I need your help in saving her daughters."

The tension rose high at these words and Tony took a step forward, the frown on his face deep. "You're this mysterious friend she's been seeing this whole time, aren't you?"

Strange nodded in reply. "I've been training Ana in the Mystic Arts these last several weeks as an apprentice. I've been helping to keep her children safe and hidden from any interested parties. Between her studies with me, she has been mentoring a young man as a possible Avenger. A task you gave her, correct Mr. Stark?"

"One she doesn't need to worry about anymore," said Tony, his hazel eyes showing his distrust of the man. "But go back a step, what the hell are you talking about Mystic Arts? Like magic? What are you a wizard or something? Would explain the get up…"

"I prefer the term Master of the Mystic Arts but if wizard suits your fancy, then sure," said Strange as he glanced at Tony. "Despite your disbelieving tone, you've noticed a few new things about Ana, haven't you? Like her ability to appear and disappear through what you could call a portal?"

Tony didn't say a word but his silence was more than enough to confirm that yes, he had noticed his sister's new abilities. Strange took that confirmation and nodded to himself as he turned, gesturing to the two of them to follow him. "I'm sure you realize that Ana has been less than open with you about what she has been doing. I apologize but it was at my request that she not divulge this information."

"Something has changed then?" said Jenn as she went to follow the man with little hesitation, her worry for her niece outweighing her caution. Tony hesitated for only a moment before he frowned and went to follow them.

"Ana had been hurt in that recent attack at the ferry," said Strange as he led the way up the grand staircase. "It was a wound that would've normally healed on its own." He glanced behind him, seeing the two following close behind, before he took off to the right toward a hallway. "She came to us in the hopes that Erai would be of some help."

"They merged, didn't they?" asked Jenn, her worry growing as they went down the long hallway, passing a series of doors.

"They did," said Strange as he nodded. "Because of this merging, we discovered that there was something amiss with Ana's body and Ana and Erin's souls."

"Souls?" Tony scoffed as he frowned at Strange. "You cannot be serious…"

Strange stopped in front of a door and turned around to face Tony, a slight frown on his face. "Don't let your own ego and arrogance blind you to what's in front of you, Mr. Stark. There is so much more beyond this reality than you can comprehend. Ana and Erin – or Cin as you call her – were two separate beings once upon a time. The universe had intervened in such a way so now they share one body. One cannot exist without the other. Yet, they are still two separate souls… or at least they were. One of them is losing themselves within the other, losing all sense of who they are. Since Ana had started training in the Mystic Arts, their body is beginning to reflect this change. We've tried all we could but nothing has worked. Not even Erai has been able to reach her. We need your help to find her and bring her back. You're her family. If anyone can do it, it would be you." He sighed heavily as he opened the door. The room beyond was rippled and distorted, looking like the shards of a broken mirror that reflected images that were rotating and shifting into and over itself.

"What the hell…" Tony took a step back in surprise at the sight of it.

"Step through," said Strange as he gestured through the doorway.

"Which one?" asked Jenn as she stopped beside Strange, her worry so clear that she didn't even blink twice in regards to the strange doorway. "Which one of them is lost?"

Strange looked at Jenn, his piercing eyes revealing his worry for his apprentice. "Erin."

-o-

Tony had done and seen a lot of things in his life but what was before him right now was something that was straight out of _Alice in Wonderland._

The room was plain – wood panels, a full size bed, a nightstand and lamp- but beyond that the very seams of reality seemed to resemble the fractured pieces of a broken mirror. It was the best way he could describe what he was experiencing right now.

In the center of the room, a very familiar crimson skinned but taller-than-usual form was kneeling on an oriental carpet, their clawed hands resting lightly on their thighs. Their eyes were closed as if in deep meditation and their breaths were slowly easing in and out. They looked fast asleep. Tony could say it was Erai but he was taller than usual and there was a slightly soft touch to his facial features – almost feminine – that was not usually there in his raging form. Realization struck him that this was Erai, Ana and Cin still merged together as one being.

"Ana," his voice was strained as he took a step forward, intent on getting to his sister- brother- sibling, but another man of Asian descent had appeared in front of him, holding him back.

"Do not break their concentration," he said, his tone firm as he glared at Tony.

"What is this place?" asked Jenn as she carefully looked around the room, slowly making her way toward where the merged form of her niece was meditating.

"The Mirror Dimension," said Strange as he appeared in the doorway, his gaze focused on Jenn. "It's a parallel dimension to our reality, a reflection of everyone and everything. It is a safe enough place where anything that happens here won't affect the real world. Ana insisted on performing the merging here in case they should lose control."

Jenn paused beside Tony, her pale blue eyes focused on the being in front of her and a sad look appeared. "They are not here, are they?"

Strange made his way further into the room and stopped beside Jenn, a look of slight surprise in his eyes. "Yes… You've got a keen eye for these things, don't you Ms. DuPont?"

Jenn glanced at Strange and gave a sad smile. "Being a quadriplegic for the majority of your life, you look into any and all ways of finding a cure. Even the mystical ones, in the vain hope… I never told Sido of my personal quest into the mystical. It is amazing what the internet offers in information. I never imagined that some of it was based on truth."

"Quite," said Strange in agreement.

"Time out," said Tony as he turned to them, making the gesture with his hands as he shook his head. "What are you two talking about?"

"I could explain Mr. Stark," said Strange as he glanced at the billionaire. "But as my teacher demonstrated quite effectively the first time I learned of this: You will need to experience to believe it." He backed away from the two of them as he held out his scarred hands. "You're going to need to adjust quickly. Erai will be there to help you. Relax, take a breath… The first time can be jarring."

Tony had barely gotten out a "what?" when Strange had suddenly struck him against his back with such force that he was thrown forward. The strangest sensation overwhelmed him – as if he were pulling free of a heavy weight around his body and then down to his feet – before he was flying forward, free from any weight. He would have gone careening off to who knew where when he was caught by a strong hand.

"Easy there my brother," said a familiar deep voice and Tony opened his eyes to find himself looking into the deep blue gaze of Erai.

"Erai?" Tony questioned in confusion as he looked up at the Lyttan before glancing at the center of the room. The merged form of Erai, Cin and Ana was still kneeled on the carpet in deep mediation. "What the hell…" He could feel his anxiety rising as his gaze landed on himself – his own body – which was currently being laid to rest on the carpet by Strange. Jenn was right beside him, looking as if she were fast asleep.

"I'm right here Tony," her voice spoke from Erai's left and Tony glanced at her.

"What the hell," he said again, this time a little louder. He was looking at Jenn but it wasn't the Jenn he was used to. This Jenn was without the cybernetic parts – she was all human and floating beside Erai, looking entirely at home with the entire situation.

"Calm yourself brother," said Erai, keeping a firm hand on his arm. "You are in what Dr. Strange calls the Astral Plane. It is a dimension where the soul can exist outside of the body. You are perfectly safe." He kept his hold on Tony, seeing that he was not really going to calm down. "Please, take a breath and focus… Ana and Erin are right beside us. Focus on them."

"What?" That caught Tony's attention and he glanced around the room before he caught sight of two forms that were sitting on the bed. "Oh…" was all he could say as he looked at the two women sitting nearly one on top of the other. They looked as if they were overlapping one another now that he focused on them.

One form he recognized right away, the head of short copper brown curls easily identifiable as Ana but the other… He had only seen this person once before and that had been in a shared memory of Erai's.

Cin – or rather Erin – was slightly to the left of Ana, their forms partially blending together. Erin was the spitting image of Erai with soft russet skin and deep blue eyes that were unfocused while her hair fell in long, dark curls down towards her back. They looked confused and lost…

" _Mon dieu,_ " said Jenn, when she caught sight of them, her tone of voice was heartbroken. "Look at them…"

Tony could say he agreed with Jenn's observation. His sister – sisters – looked terrible.

"Come," said Erai as he took a hold of both of them and moved toward them bed. The closer they got, the stronger the familial link became until visible threads of red light could be seen. They were attached to each of them and they were all tethered to Ana and Erin's forms like some sort of anchor. Several other threads could be seen going off into the distance leading to other members of the family who were not there. One thread in particular though was black in color, this one led straight up from Ana and Erin and into the ceiling of the room before disappearing from sight. Amongst them all there were smaller threads of red light connecting everyone together, these lights all revealing the familial web of links among the family.

The moment Erai had brought them closer, Ana seemed to come to life and she looked up, her deep brown eyes focusing on her family. Erin seemed to mirror Ana's movements though her movements were delayed, her deep blue eyes focusing on everyone.

" _Tante_ Jenn… Tony…" said Ana, a soft smile brightening her features.

Erin echoed Ana, her voice huskier than Ana's soft tones. " _Tante_ Jenn… Tony…"

"Oh Ana," said Jenn as she moved toward her niece, reaching out a gentle hand to place a hand against her cheek before she looked at Erin. "This is Cin? Erin?" She looked at Erai, who nodded confirmation, before she turned her attention back to the other woman. "She is so beautiful." She reached out to place her other hand against Erin's cheek. "Too see the both of them like this…"

" _Tante,_ " said Ana as she reached up to take a hold of her aunt's hand. "I'm fine… but… I feel like something is missing…" She frowned as she looked at Tony, Erin following her words and movements. "Big brother… I don't… I can't feel myself… I- I don't…"

Tony felt his heart nearly breaking as he witnessed this strange sight. Erin was lost in Ana, he could see that her soul – spirit or whatever it was – was slowly blending in with Ana's and was disappearing. Feeling a sort of clenching panic in his heart, he pulled his arm from Erai's grasp and moved closer, his hazel eyes focused on the two of them. "What's wrong?" he asked, his tone getting desperate. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it. Ana, Erin… Cin, please…"

Jenn slowly moved out of the way, seeing that it was Tony who Erin – not Ana – had focused on. Her deep blue eyes had moved independently from Ana's and focused on Tony. A stricken look had touched Erin's face as she slowly reached out to Tony, taking his hands in hers. Ana's gaze had focused on the hands that held Tony's, a look of confusion touching her features.

"Brother," said Erin, her tone was lost. "Am I Ana? Am I… Cin? I don't… I used to be Erin once. I used to… belong, one half of one whole. Ana… My little Ana… I protected her until Mama came along… Then he came along… and I felt whole again. I felt whole… and then he left us. Everything changed and fell apart… She's been so strong since he left us. Holding the both of us together and keeping our family together where I… I couldn't even breathe." She choked back a sob as she shook her head. "Erai has Betty now… _Tante_ has Vision… Luc and Beccie only see Ana when they look at me… You and Ana have always been close… I was always on the inside looking out, wanting to be close to you but… you never saw me until you needed me in battle." She closed her eyes tightly, trying to breathe. "I was always needed in the fights. To do the battles where Ana could not… I wasn't needed in any other capacity until little brother came along… He looked at me and I knew he needed me… Someone who could teach him, guide him and protect him. I _had_ to protect him! I couldn't lose one more … But he didn't listen to me… Now, I don't know what to do… Ana is learning these new abilities and she is gaining control and I… She did everything. Everything on that ferry she did on her own. I only watched and I realized… I wasn't needed… I wasn't me... What if I _was_ Ana… Maybe this whole time..."

There was silence.

Pure silence.

No one had ever heard Cin, or rather Erin, speak in such a way.

She had been buried within Ana for so long, without memories of who she had been; only coming out when there was a threat to the human she was merged to. She had only been discovering bits and pieces of her memories after all this time with Erai's help but there were still blank spots as to who she had been before Ana. All that she was and all that she had known had been wrapped up in Ana's experiences. She never truly lived outside of Ana's dominance unless it was in battle. At least until she met her mate and her brother.

That was when everything had fallen into place.

It didn't last long and after her mate disappeared, she was lost all over again... Until the incident when their children were kidnapped. At the facility in the Mojave Desert when she merged with her twin and the wall between Ana and her became clear, something had changed. She found she could experience life through Ana; personally experience everything that she only ever had witnessed from behind the wall. All the quiet moments, the joy and the laughter...

That was when she noticed that for those moments outside of battle, everyone in the family addressed Ana, never her. Save for her twin. Her twin was the only one outside of Ana who was aware of her at all times and addressed her by her name. So, for the majority of the time during this clarity, she had spent time with Peter and the boy was the only other one who saw Erin as she was. She had grown attached to the boy, severely attached, which brought about her protective instincts. The emotions had spilled over onto Ana's psyche stronger than usual...

Then the ferry happened and Ana had been the one to initiate the change in form spurred on by their wound and mutual panic. Ana had been the one to control their abilities and it was this moment that Erin felt she truly wasn't needed. She had lost her mate... She felt as if she had lost her family... Now, she felt as if she were losing her sense of self. Who was she if she wasn't needed in battle? Maybe... Maybe she really was just... Ana. With this realization, her physical form began to reflect this and the mishap with her healing factor took place.

"Er... in," Ana's soft voice broke through the silence.

"Oh no..." Tony shook his head as he leaned forward to pull Erin into a tight hug, inadvertently separating Erin from Ana's form. "No, no... Don't feel like that. You're my little sister... You both are my little sisters. You're Luc and Beccie's mother as much as Ana is. You and Ana hold this entire family together. We need you Erin. Ana needs you more than any of us. You both together make Cin... Don't ever think that you are not needed. You are. Despite the stupidity of your husband and mate, you are wanted and needed. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we didn't see you as you are..."

Erin blinked, her deep blue eyes focusing slightly before she reached up to return Tony's embrace, a soft sob escaping her.

Ana blinked once and then twice, her deep brown eyes focusing as her form slowly began to separate from Erin's. She shook her head in confusion as she carefully got to her feet. "What... happened?"

"Oh Ana," said Jenn as she moved forward to wrap Ana in a tight embrace. "We almost lost Erin..."

Ana frowned lightly as she looked at her aunt before she pulled away and turned her head to see Tony embracing another woman. A woman who looked a good deal like Erai...

"Erin?"

Tony pulled away from Erin and looked back at the familiar face of Ana. He looked at Erin and Ana before a wide, cheeky grin appeared. "How crazy is this huh? All of us finally meeting face to face to face to face to face..."

Erin let out a watery laugh at Tony's usual sense of humor, the sound rich and husky. She smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes before her deep blue gaze settled on Ana. Without saying a word, Erin got to her feet and moved over to her other self. Erin was taller than Ana and it was a surreal experience to be looking down at her human self for the first time in their existence.

They stared at one another for an unknown amount of time before Erin reached out and took Ana in her arms, hugging her tightly. Ana returned the hug, her tears spilling over as the realization that she had almost lost her other self hit her deep. She had been so concerned about Peter, her training, her family's safety; she didn't realize just how lost Erin had been and how much her emotions had been her one way of screaming for help...

"I'm sorry Erin," said Ana, a soft sob escaping.

"Me too Ana," she said, a soft hand running over the copper brown curls. "We'll do better, won't we?"

"Yes," she said, pulling away to look up at Erin and smiling, reaching out to run her fingers against Erin's russet cheek. "We'll do better."

"Ohh, family hug!" Tony said as he got up and moved over to the two and wrapping his arms around them. He looked at Jenn and Erai, waving them in. "C'mon, c'mon, no one's left out!"

Jenn laughed and moved over to hug her loved ones tightly. Erai laughed a little and joined as well. Erin looked up at her twin and she reached out to grab his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze...

And with that the feeling of everything snapping back into place overwhelmed all of them…


	106. Does This Mean You're a Witch?

_Forgiveness_

_It flies in the face of all your pride_

_It moves away the mad inside_

_It's always anger's own worst enemy_

_Forgiveness_

_Show me how to love the unlovable_

_Show me how to reach the unreachable_

_Help me now to do the impossible…_

**Forgiveness** – Matthew West

-o-

Chapter 106: Does This Mean You're a Witch?

"Does this mean you're a witch?" asked Tony as he watched Ana carefully move around the guest bedroom. "Or is it sorceress, now? Oh, I know! You're the witch and Erin is the sorceress. That would work."

A throaty chuckle escaped Ana as she glanced at Tony, a flash of a yellow glow in her brown eyes.

"Do you and Erin fly? Am I going to have to invest in modifying brooms for you?"

" _Mon dieu_ , Tony," Ana began though her laughter was bubbling out of her. "Enough with the magic jests," she said as she turned around, gently pulling on a blouse. Her left side was healed but was still tender and raw with new skin. Light bandages had been placed over the area to protect it.

Tony gave a wide grin as he placed his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Cut me some slack little sisters. I just had my first out of body experience and discovered magic is a real thing. I need some semblance of normalcy after everything we've been through."

"So, picking on me is your normal?" she asked as she went over to grab a pair of shoes that Wong had left for her. She winced slightly as she leaned down to grab them, raising a hand and shaking her head when he went to help her. "It's ok, it's just tender." She smiled at him as she grabbed the shoes before moving carefully over to sit on the bed. " _Merci."_

He moved over to sit on the bed with her, sighing heavily as he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You and Erin gave us a real scare back there… Next time just tell me you're in a super-secret cult so we can avoid this emotional baggage. I'd understand."

"It is not a cult!" she managed to get out before the laughter bubbled out of her.

Tony smiled and hugged her tighter, enjoying the sound of his sister's laughter before reached out to pat her knee. "We're a mess, aren't we?"

Ana's laughter died down and she looked at her brother, a sweet smile on her face. "What family isn't? But that's what makes us strong, right? We have each other to help through the hard times… I'm sorry I kept you in the dark about what was going on."

"It's ok," he said as he let Ana go so she could put her shoes on. "Dr. Mysterio told you his super-secret cult had to be super-secret. Considering what he's doing for Erai, Betty and the twins I don't blame you."

"I swear to god Tony! His name is Strange not Mysterio and if you call it a cult one more time," she said as she turned around from her bent over position and swiped a hand at his shin.

He chuckled as he moved his leg out of the way, his hazel eyes dancing with affection and amusement. He remained silent as he watched her tie her shoes before she slowly sat back up and ran a hand through her copper brown curls.

"You and Erin are going to keep training here?" he asked as he studied her.

Ana nodded as she glanced at him. "It's important we learn the Mystic Arts. Even more so now… Erin needs to be a part of what I'm doing so that way we, as Cin, can be stronger."

"For better mental control, yeah you mentioned that before."

"Erin and I are a part of one another, but we've never been truly in sync until we met Bruce," she frowned a little as she spoke of her husband, reaching out to absently twist her wedding band. "After he disappeared, everything just went… dark between us. At least until everything that happened with rescuing the twins. Merging with Erai had cleared that wall between us but never dropped it. Even after this second merging, the wall is still there. We need to learn how to drop it completely. Training with Stephen and Wong will help with that. We need to be ready. We can't let another incident that happened with the twins happen ever again."

Tony's lips thinned as he studied Ana. "Stephen, huh?" he said, raising a brow in question. Seeing her roll her eyes in exasperation, Tony chuckled and decided to leave that alone for right now. Instead, he looked around the room they were in. "Are you going to be staying here then?"

She frowned lightly in thought, going over her options, before she shook her head. " _Non,_ I need to get back to the apartment. Erin has a little brother she is anxious to see is ok and frankly, I do as well. Poor thing, Peter is probably beside himself with worry after everything…" She trailed off when she saw that her brother had tensed up at the mention of Peter. She shifted in her position to face him, a look of suspicion falling across her features. "What did you say to him, Tony?"

"Nothing that wasn't unwarranted," said Tony in reply as he glanced at Ana. "He should've listened to us. Now, because of his stupid decisions to go behind my back, that whole thing with the ferry happened and the leader of that weapons ring is still out there. I took his suit back, dropped him off home, and that's that."

"Have you checked up on him since then?" asked Ana, her worry clear.

"No," said Tony as he shook his head. "I've been more concerned about you. The kid's fine, he's young, he'll bounce back from this. Like I said before you disappeared: You're not mentoring him anymore."

"And you think that will stop him from doing what he thinks is right? He doesn't have his suit and he doesn't have his mentor. You said so yourself that weapons dealer is still out there somewhere." Ana shook her head, a slight frown on her face. "You haven't spent any time with him at all so don't assume you know him as well as you think you do. This won't stop him. He's a kid but he's growing into a young man. He's going to make his own decisions regardless of what we advise him because that is what it means to grow up." She paused at this, her own words hitting to the heart of her.

Tony frowned lightly at this but didn't say anything in response. Ana was right. He didn't know Peter outside of the few times they had interacted despite the constant monitoring. She knew him a little better because of her role as his mentor. Erin and Ana saw the boy the way Tony saw her: A younger sibling that, despite choices and mistakes made, you cared for regardless.

She turned away from Tony as she closed her eyes and reached out to the clear wall between Erin and her. She sent off a questioning thought to her other self and Erin's response was in the affirmative. She wanted to go see their little brother – they didn't leave family behind.

Nodding to herself, she opened her eyes and looked at Tony. "I'm going to my apartment. I'm going to talk to May Parker and hope to god I didn't burn that bridge of our friendship." She stood up from the bed and carefully folded her arms across her chest, daring Tony to say something. "I'm then going to talk to Peter, with or without your blessing. Suit or no suit, he's one of ours."

Tony glanced at her for a few moments, his hazel eyes taking in the sight of her, before a slight smile appeared on his goateed lips. He stood up and went over to wrap her in a tight hug. "You ladies and your stubborn ways… Fine, I don't agree with it, but fine. Keep doing what you've been doing but keep your cloaking device with you. I don't want him to think he's got a chance until he's proved he's capable."

"I can block my end of the link so he won't know I'm there," she said as she returned the hug. "Thanks, big brother… for always being there despite everything." She felt the tears brimming as she hugged him tighter and buried herself within the warmth of him. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here taking care of us. We love you."

Warmth touched his heart and his smile grew as he tightened his hold around her and leaned down to press a kiss against her hair. "Love you too…"

They held each other tightly for a little longer before Tony pulled away, clearing his throat in a suspicious way as he sniffed. "All right, enough of that mushy stuff." He smiled at her soft laugh and glanced around at the room. "You have everything?"

"I didn't have much to begin with," she said with a smile before she took her brother by the hand. "C'mon, I want to see our other brother and _Tante_ Jenn. I just know Stephen has been asking Jenn all sorts of questions about her cyborg parts."

"So, you've been training under this guy and you're already on a first name basis?" Tony asked, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Wait, was he the one you were with that day when you were breathing all heavy on the phone?"

"Oh my god, _do not_ Anthony Stark!"

He let out a barking laugh at his sister's faint blush as she dropped his hand in a huff and turned to leave the room. He followed her, his laughter still going. Oh, how he loved messing with her…

-o-

After passing Wong's scrutiny on her health, Ana was deemed well enough to travel but only by normal standards. Strange had given her strict instructions that she was taking a break from her training to heal. He had given her several books on meditation to help with Erin and Ana's mental control and one book on the beginning processes of astral projection with advice that it was only for reading. She was in no shape to practice astral projection on her own.

Ana had nodded, taking the instructions to heart, and trying not to laugh as Wong handed the thick books to Tony. With a last thanks and a quick hug to Wong and Erai – who was going back home to Betty and the twins – Ana, Jenn, and Tony left 177A Bleecker St.

It was late in the afternoon by this time and Happy was still waiting in his black car on the curb. The moment he saw them coming down the steps of the townhome, he got out of the car and made his way around to Tony to grab the heavy books. His gaze went to Ana, the worry quite clear, but at seeing her bright smile he seemed to relax and smiled back at her. With all the hubbub going on with the move from Avengers Tower to the compound upstate, Happy hadn't been aware of what was going on with Ana. It was not until Tony had called him letting him know of Ana's disappearance that he dropped everything to head back to the compound.

Now, with Ana apparently safe and sound, Jenn no longer a sobbing mess, and Tony looking relaxed and at ease, Happy could relax himself and focus on getting back to work with the move. He was surprised when Tony had given instructions to head to that apartment building in Queens and when he glanced at Ana, he could see that despite the situation going on with the kid, she was still going to be doing whatever she had been doing the last several weeks. When his gaze traveled back to Tony in the rearview mirror, Tony gave a nod in confirmation. Yes, Ana was still going to keep an eye on the kid.

Happy would have voiced his thoughts on the matter but seeing the peaceful look on the faces of the occupants of his car, he knew that whatever had been going on with Ana had finally been addressed. As he drove off, he listened with a smile as Tony started going on Ana about her clothes and if they needed to stop by and get black robes and a broom for her just in case. Happy thought that was a rather odd thing to say but maybe it was some inside joke because he heard Ana's quick retort and the familiar sound of her hand slapping Tony's arm, Jenn's delighted laughter filling the car.

Yeah, his favorite family was all right…

-o-

The sound of a hand knocking on her apartment door caught May's attention and she set her tablet and pen aside on the sofa, a glimpse of a sketched dress could be seen.

Getting up, she made her way to the door and peeked through the peep hole to see who it was. She caught a glimpse of copper brown curls and she immediately went to unlock the dead bolts. Swinging the door open, she saw Ana about to open her mouth in greeting but didn't give the other woman a chance. May had reached out and pulled Ana into a tight embrace, the younger woman stumbling slightly over her feet.

"Oh my god, Ana!" said May as she held Ana a little tighter – Ana wincing slightly as her side was still tender – before May pulled away to look at her. May was only a couple inches taller than Ana so they were nearly eye to eye. "Are you all right? Peter told me you were on the ferry." She didn't give Ana a chance to answer as she took her hand and pulled her into the apartment, kicking the door closed after her.

Ana could only allow herself to be dragged into the apartment, a slightly stunned look on her face as May directed her to sit down on the sofa. Of all the scenarios she had been picturing in her head, it didn't even cross Ana's mind that May would be worried about her. Angry? Yes. Cold? Most definitely. But not worried. As she carefully sat down, May had perched on the arm of the sofa, her face showing nothing but concern.

"I'm all right," said Ana as she gave a warm smile. "My left side got a little bruised but nothing that can't heal."

May's eyes flicked down to Ana's torso, seeing how slightly tense she was, before she looked back at Ana. "Well, that's a relief. I called several different hospitals trying to find you but you weren't anywhere. Peter has been so worried about you but we had no way to contact you, your phone number went straight to voicemail. I hadn't seen him this way since…" She stopped herself as she sighed heavily. "He'll be relieved to see you. I swear the way he's been the last two days… It's like he believes it was his fault you got hurt on that ferry."

Ana frowned at that, May was a lot closer to the truth than she realized. At least about the reason why she had been on the ferry. Heaving a sigh as she nodded, she reached up to run a hand over her loose curls. "My phone didn't survive the dip in the harbor. I'm sorry I didn't call you and Peter. Tony had me at a private facility to avoid having the press snooping around… I was just discharged today."

At the mention of her brother, May's frown turned dark. "No offense Ana but I'd rather not discuss Tony Stark right now."

Ana winced slightly at that, knowing the reasons why and she didn't blame May at all. She was surprised that May was even talking to her the way she was. "I know… I wasn't too happy with my brother when he told me."

"Peter's a good kid," said May, her frown easing slightly. "Yes, he's made mistakes but we all have when we were his age, right? We make stupid choices and stupid decisions because we're young and we're learning. The consequences are part of growing up."

" _Oui,_ " said Ana in turn, giving a small nod. "That's something I do agree with… Which is why I'm here. Peter has potential and it's that potential I truly believe in. I wanted to run it by you as his legal guardian. If he proved himself capable, stays on the straight and narrow, I want to offer him the position of being my intern for _Brandt Genetics and Pharmaceuticals._ Once he's graduated school and starts applying for college of course. It won't be as fancy as Stark Industries nor as exciting, but it will look well on his college applications and I will see to all his tuition fees and expenses once he chooses a college he wants. This is just between us though. I want to see how he does in the next few years."

May let out a huff in breath as she gave a soft smile. "That's… Wow… You really care about my nephew, don't you?"

"Very much so," said Ana, her smile growing brighter. "And for you May. It's not easy being a single mother and having support helps ease the burden. So, let me help you."

May blinked back a few tears as she reached up to pull her glasses off. "Now look… Gonna make my mascara run…" She laughed as she moved over to sit next to Ana, reaching out to take her hand. "Yeah, that would be great… So, our little secret until Peter proves himself responsible. I can do that."

Ana laughed a little, feeling as if a slight weight had lifted from her heart as she squeezed May's hand.

The sound of the front door crashing open made both women jump in surprise and they looked over to see Peter rushing into the room and skidding to a stop on the linoleum of the kitchen floor. "May! I need your help!" he said, a frantic look on his face as his eyes landed on his aunt before his brown eyes darted to the sight of Ana. Whatever he had been about to say seemed to fly out of his mind as he stared at Ana. "M-Mrs. H?"

Ana, unable to help herself, opened the link between herself and Peter.

Shock, confusion, and disbelief were the emotions that bombarded her followed by a heartbreaking relief and affection that almost made Ana want to cry. She sent off her own affection and happiness at seeing him and she could see his eyes grow wide, no doubt surprised that he still had that mental link with her.

"Hi Peter," she said with a smile, her deep brown eyes giving a flash of a yellow glow. She let go of May's hand and stood up, intending on going over to him but he beat her to it. The moment she was on her feet, Peter had rushed over and slammed into her, wrapping her up into a tight hug.

"Mrs. H, I'm _so_ sorry," he said, the tone of his voice was strained.

"H-hey," said Ana, feeling Erin's love for the boy overflowing within her, and she returned the embrace. "It's all right… I'm ok, see? _We're_ ok." She pulled away from Peter to look at him, reaching up to brush the hair from his brow. "It's ok… It was an accident, nothing more. Not your fault so knock that out of your mind, ok?"

Peter looked at her as he studied her face, seeing the honest affection and warmth in her eyes, feeling the forgiveness through their link, and he gave a warm smile. He nodded before pulling her back into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're ok…"

Ana let out a soft laugh as she hugged the boy, her deep brown eyes glancing at his aunt. May had her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched them, seeing the obvious affection between the two. She pulled her hands away and started fanning her face, her eyes blinking as she looked up at the ceiling. "You two are making me cry… I can't even." She shook her head before she stood up and made her way over to them. "C'mere." She pulled them both into a tight hug. "I swear it's like a soap opera in here."

Peter laughed as Ana let out a slight wince though she was smiling. "These last two days have been a bit dramatic." She let out a soft hiss as she pulled away slightly from the two. "Mind the side though, still tender."

"Sorry," said May as she let them go.

Peter's eyes went to Ana's left side and then up at her, his smile disappearing as guilt bubbled up. Ana felt it and she quickly sent her affection and forgiveness. It was done and over with as far as she was concerned.

"So," May said, not catching the interaction between the two as she turned her attention to Peter. "What's this you were saying about needing help?"

Peter, being reminded of his reason for coming in the way he did, felt a blush in his cheeks as he glanced at Ana before looking at his aunt. "Oh, yeah… I uh- I got a date for Homecoming… So, I uh- needed your help… I-I don't know where to start…" He trailed off, giving an embarrassed smile as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What?" May stared at her nephew before her smile grew. "I swear today has been nothing but good news." She let out a laugh as she reached out to ruffle Peter's hair.

"Good news? What other good news?" Peter asked as he ducked his head out of his aunt's reach.

"Well, Ana's all right and now you have a date," said May as she glanced at Ana. "Oh, Ana, you have to stay and help Peter out. Having two women's perspective on things will up his chances at being the best date this girl will ever have."

Ana blinked in surprise, not expecting to be included. "I've… never been to a school dance," she said, a soft chuckle escaping. "I'm not sure how much help I could be. I've only been to company parties and my husband wasn't well known for his fashion sense…"

"Oh stop," said May as she waved off Ana's concerns. "Considering who you call a brother, you must've picked up a few pointers from his stylists so you're helping."

Ana blinked again and looked at Peter in surprise, who simply smiled and shrugged in response, his amusement trickling from his end of their familial link. It seemed that Aunt May had effectively considered Ana as part of their little family now. Peter watched as his aunt linked arms with Ana and started talking about her experiences with high school dances as she dragged her off to the bedrooms. He felt a slight weight lift from his heart.

Maybe…

Maybe things were really going to be ok.


	107. Peter, Nothing is More Important than Family

_Can't live with or without 'em_

_You might talk about 'em_

_But if someone else does_

_Well_

_Then you'll knock 'em out cause_

_When it's all said and done_

_They're the only ones that you got…_

**Family is Family** – Kacey Musgrave

-o-

Chapter 107: Peter, Nothing is More Important than Family

"Peter, _nothing_ is more important than family."

The silence in the car after this statement was filled with thick tension.

It was the night of the Homecoming dance.

After May and Ana had helped Peter get ready for the big night, Aunt May had dropped him off at his date's house in the suburbs. Before they had left Queens, Ana had given him a hug and wished him luck as she pulled away to tap a finger against his temple. He understood the gesture: Their familial link would be there no matter the distance so she would be able to find him if he needed her help. He had nodded in a nervous way, not thinking just what that gesture would mean later for him. He had told her he would be fine and for her to rest and not worry about him. She was still sore from the ferry incident that had happened a week prior and he knew that she was under strict instructions not to over exert herself. If there was one thing he didn't want to do was have Ana hurt herself all over again. He was still feeling guilty over everything that had happened at the ferry. If Ana had died…

Those were the thoughts that had gone over and over in his mind since Mr. Stark had taken the suit from him. Peter knew that Mr. Stark blamed him for Ana being hurt and if she had been killed, he would have been responsible not only for her death but also the cause of her two children being orphans. It was this thought that mostly haunted him because he had lived through that – the pain of becoming an orphan. He didn't want to be the cause of a broken family. So, Peter had done his utmost to keep his emotions calm and controlled throughout the entire ride over to Liz's house. It had been a true test in remaining calm in the face of danger when he had knocked on the door and met Liz's dad.

Right now, Peter felt as if he was under the most important test of his life.

He was sitting in the back seat of the car that belonged to the dad of his date, Liz Toomes. The man in the driver's seat, Adrian Toomes, was the very same middle-aged Caucasian man from the ferry. Liz's dad was the leader of the weapons ring that had been selling the modified alien tech to the criminals in Queens. The moment Liz had left the car to go ahead to the dance he had pulled a pistol from the glove box and placed his arm around the passenger seat, the pistol aimed toward Peter's heart. During the ride over to the school, his date had inadvertently divulged some details regarding Peter's association with Stark and Spider-Man, how an Avenger had come to her party because of him, and how he had a bad habit of disappearing a lot. Her dad was a very smart man and had managed to put the string of clues together. When they had arrived at the school, he told his daughter to head on inside so he could have the "dad talk" with Peter. That talk was anything but the typical dad talk one would expect.

Peter was taking in a slow breath, one at a time, as he stared at the older man. He was doing his very best to remain calm so that way he would not send off anything to alert Ana to the current situation. He was finding it very difficult.

"You saved my daughter's life," said Toomes as he kept his gaze focused on Peter. "Now, I could never forget something like that. So, I'm gonna give you one chance. Are you ready?" He didn't wait for Peter to respond. Instead, he gestured his head toward the front doors to the school. "Walk through those doors. You forget _any_ of this happened and don't you ever – _ever_ – interfere with my business again." A dead look crossed his features. "Cause if you do… I'll kill you and everybody you love."

Peter felt a slice of dread pierce his heart and he quickly stifled it down, breathing slowly and carefully as he looked at the pistol.

"I'll kill you dead," said Toomes. "That's what I'll do to protect my family, Pete. You understand?"

Peter didn't respond but he could say, in that moment, he understood exactly what the older man was telling him.

"Hey," said Toomes, seeing that Peter wasn't going to respond. "I just saved your life… Now, what do you say?"

Peter looked up at the older man, his form tense as his eyes met Toomes'. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Toomes with a nod of his head. "Now, you go on in there, you show my daughter a good time, ok?" He gave a slight smile, the wrinkles of his face deepening as he winked. "Just not _too_ good."

Peter carefully opened the car door and got out, easing a slow breath from his nostrils. _Calm thoughts… Calm thoughts…_

He closed the car door and watched as Toomes drove away. His heart rate was threatening to rise as he slowly turned and made his way into the school toward the dance. He had a choice to make but he didn't want to bring Ana into another situation. He was afraid to do this one on his own but he didn't see any other way. Knowing Ana as he did, she would not hesitate to risk herself all over again to try and help him… Maybe if he caught up with Toomes and tried to get Happy on the phone to get Mr. Stark… That was an idea. It was better than nothing and it would keep Ana safe. As he went over his plan, he felt calmer and determined. He would put a stop to this mess.

First, though, he had to talk to Liz…

-o-

Ned Leeds knew that something was wrong the moment he saw his best friend ditching the most beautiful senior in the school on Homecoming and running out of the gym at full tilt. He didn't have a date to worry about so he didn't hesitate to hurry after his best friend. Ned was a heavy set young man so by the time he was running up the corridor – seeing the shed clothing of his best friend along the way – he was a little out of breath. When he pushed his way out of the door and onto the parking lot where the school busses were, it was to see Peter – decked out in his original Spider-Man outfit – climbing out of a toppled bus. A mean looking African-American man wearing an electrical gauntlet was making his way over to Spider-Man while the young super hero was crawling his way along the asphalt. Seeing that his best friend was about to be pummeled, Ned looked around in a desperate attempt to find anything to help when his keen eye spotted a familiar looking item on the ground. Rushing over, he grabbed the web shooter and aimed it at the man before hitting the trigger button and letting loose a stream of webbing. It hit its target and landed right on the man's gauntlet, catching the man's arm and keeping it from swinging down.

"Nice shot!" said Spider-Man as he quickly grabbed the webbing and pulled, tearing the gauntlet off the man's hand. He then pulled on the other end of the webbing, the web shooter flying out of Ned's hand and into Spider-Man's. He grabbed it, put on his left wrist, and let loose a thick stream of webbing that caught the man and stuck him against the side of a bus.

With that done, Spider-Man ran over to Ned, his movements hurried. "Ned, the guy with the wings is Liz's dad!"

"What?"

"I know! I gotta tell Mr. Stark! Call Happy Hogan, he's Mr. Stark's head of security!"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Ned as he shook his head. "What about Mrs. Hulk? Shouldn't she know?"

"No," said Spider-Man as he gave a firm shake of his head. "Whatever you do, don't call Mrs. H yet! I don't want her getting mixed up in this if I can stop him in time." He turned on his feet and started to run off. "If she shows up, stall her! And uh – get a computer and track my phone for me!"

"Are you gonna be ok?" Ned called out to his best friend, watching him as he shot a web onto a street light and swung himself on top of it.

"Hurry! We gotta catch him before he leaves town!" Spider-Man yelled out in reply before he shot another stream of webbing to disappear into the night. Ned turned around and ran back toward the school. Despite what Spider-Man thought, Ned knew that he was going to need help. Reaching up to the lapel of his white coat, he took hold of the pin with the radiation symbol on it and pressed down on it. A green light blinked in the center of it and a signal went out…

-o-

Ana had been having a quiet evening at her apartment, perusing over one of books that Strange had loaned her, when she felt something was off…

She glanced up from her book, staring off into the distance as she concentrated on her links with the family. She felt a soft feeling of worry from Erin as she checked each link one by one. Everyone in the family seemed all right. Tony was feeling his usual snarky self, Pepper was feeling annoyed – no doubt at Tony – while Jenn was feeling love and affection, which meant she was with Vision. Betty and Erai were feeling love and calm while Luc and Beccie were peaceful, which meant they were fast asleep. She passed one link without even bothering to check it – Bruce's link was a dead one, there had been no response in over a year. Yet, unlike with her mother's link which had broken at her death, his was still intact. It was the only clue Ana had that her husband may be still be alive out there but with no pull in any direction she could follow, no feeling in response from his end, it was just a dead link. So, there was one link remaining – Peter's.

His was calm; a slight feeling of anxiety trickling through every now and then but it was to be expected since he was on a date with his crush. Still…

The longer Ana focused on it, the more it began to feel as if his emotions were _too_ calm for such an important night to him…

Deciding to keep an eye on it but not jump to conclusions, she focused on her book and continued her studies. It was only fifteen minutes later that she was bombarded by feelings of panic and pain, a soft gasp escaping her as Peter's link continued to pulse with his frantic emotions. He was in trouble but how could be in trouble at his Homecoming dance? Unless…

A piercing alarm erupted from the nearly forgotten tablet in her bag. She hardly used the thing since she started her training so it was a blessed thing she had forgotten it here most days. She recognized the alarm as the panic button on the pins she had given Peter and his friend, Ned. Setting her book aside she rushed over to her bag and dug around inside, trying to find her tablet. Once she found it, she pulled it out to see the screen was blinking with the warning that one of the pins had been activated. Double tapping on the screen, a hologram emerged showing a map of the area of Queens and a blinking target homed in at the school's location. It was either Peter or Ned and, knowing Peter, he would have left his pin behind and told Ned not to contact her should any trouble arise.

Concentrating on her link with Peter, it was pulling her in his direction and she could feel that he was on the move, his emotions ranging from determination and worry. She bit her lip, trying to fight down the urge to go running after him. He was smart, he would have had a good reason not to alert her right away, but he would have known she would have felt him regardless. Ned was the one to trigger the alarm, so Ned would be the best option to go to and get information on what was happening before she went blindly running off after Peter.

Feeling confident in that course of action, Ana quickly went to don her dark outfit and coat, placing the choker around her neck. She reached to the clear wall between Erin and her, sending out a pleading thought. ‘ _I'm going to need you Erin. We're going to be going against our orders but it'll be the quickest way… Can we do this for Peter?’_

_‘Yes,’_ Erin's thoughts went through their clear wall, feeling her affection for Peter trickling through. Ana felt Erin's presence pressing against the clear wall, so it almost felt as if their minds were touching. ‘ _We can do this Ana. Don't worry… But we do need to let Peter do this on his own. I like your plan.’_

Ana smiled at that as she located her sling ring and slipped it on her left hand. ‘ _Our little brother must have found out something big so let's go find out what happened and help him out.’_

Erin's affirmative thoughts and her confidence in their plan spurred Ana on and she reached out her left hand, her right making a single circular motion, her thoughts and desires focused on her destination. The gateway she conjured sparked into being, orange fiery shades of light that were calm and opened with little hesitation. The opening itself was solid and unwavering; the view of what looked like a computer lab could be seen on the other side. A feeling of triumph arose with her and Ana sent that off to Erin, whose amusement bubbled back in response.

It felt good to have Erin back.

Taking in a breath, Ana activated her cloaking device and stepped through the gateway just as she disappeared.

-o-

"Take off in nine minutes! Hello? Hello? Who is this?"

Ned, who had been busy on one of the computers looking up the specs for the car that Spider-Man had commandeered from Flash Thompson, quickly turned away and rolled his chair across the aisle to another computer. He looked at the monitor that was currently showing a video feed of an older gentleman that Ned had never seen before but heard a lot about. "Uh, Mr. Happy, it's Ned."

"Who?" Happy asked, squinting into the camera, trying to see the teenager in the low lighting of the computer lab. Off in a corner of the room behind Ned and out of sight, a flurry of sparks had appeared and opened for a moment before fading from view. Ned hadn't heard or noticed the strange sight as he was focused on trying to get the man to stay on the line.

"I'm an associate of Peter Parker's! He has something very important to tell you-"

"You gotta be shittin' me!" Happy said, a deep frown appearing on his face before he disconnected the call.

Ned sat back in his chair, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. "Damn!"

"Hey Ned! How we doin' on those headlights?" His best friend's voice chimed in ear at that moment. Rolling back to the other computer, he found the instructions and delivered them to Spider-Man.

"All right, perfect! So, where's my phone now?"

"Uh," Ned rolled back across the aisle to look at another monitor. "He stopped at an old industrial park in Brooklyn."

"What? That makes no sense! I thought he said he was going out of town!"

"Oh," Ned sighed as he leaned over the keyboard and adjusted his ear piece. "I reached Mr. Happy – I don't think he likes you by the way – it sounded like he was catching a flight. He said something about taking off in nine minutes."

"What?!"

"He was surrounded by a bunch of boxes."

"Boxes?" Spider-Man sounded confused for a moment before his voice started to go an octave higher as something occurred to him. "It's moving day… It's moving day! It's moving day! He's gonna rob that plane! I gotta stop him!"

Ned sighed heavily as he listened to his best friend driving like a lunatic on the other end, not noticing that a figure had appeared from thin air behind his chair. They stood behind Ned, quietly watching and listening as Ned gave Spider-Man directions to his current destination. It was when Ned had turned around to try to get Happy back on the phone that he finally noticed the figure in black and let out a high-pitched shriek.

"Ned, you ok?!" He heard in his ear as he looked up at the familiar features of Mrs. H.

She placed a finger to her lips and gestured for Ned to keep talking to Spider-Man. He gave a nod in understanding. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Thought I saw a rat." He watched as Mrs. H turned around to head to the computer he had been about to go to and reached out to type at the keys. A moment later, the familiar sound of Happy's voice came through the line.

"Wheels up in eight minutes! Hello? This better not be you kid I swear-"

"Harold Hogan, if I catch you swearing at a minor one more time, I will have Tony dock it from your bonus."

"What?" Happy squinted his eyes as he focused his gaze into the camera. "Ana? What the hell are you doing calling me from some unknown number?"

"There might be a problem, but I don't know the details," said Mrs. H as she leaned closer to the monitor, keeping her voice low so that she could not be heard on Ned's earpiece. She didn't want her protégé to know she was there. "Peter's been trying to reach you for good reason. The flight might be compromised."

"Ana, we're taking off in eight minutes. No offense but I'm not going to put this move on hold and cause Tony to get on my ass because some punk kid is crying wolf."

Mrs. H's lips had thinned at this as a flash of a yellow glow appeared in her eyes. " _Bien…_ fair enough. I would advise to monitor the situation regardless. Good luck." She disconnected the call before he could say anything in reply; no doubt she was less than pleased with the man's attitude toward Peter. Behind her, Ned had been speaking with her protégé before he wished him good luck. Spider-Man had reached his destination in one piece.

Ned disconnected the line and turned in his chair to look at Mrs. H, slight awe on his face as he saw her outfit. "No way! Of course, you're the Spider-Man's ghost! I should've seen it!"

Mrs. H blinked as she looked at Ned. "I'm sorry?"

Ned pointed at her. "The Spider-Man's ghost – Spider-Man's mysterious unseen ally. There's a boatload of videos on YouTube of Spider-Man being helped by some invisible person but the one at that ATM robbery is the most popular. They've been calling you the Ghost because no one knows how you turn invisible! That is so cool!"

Seeing as this was the first time she's heard of such a thing, she simply shook her head and decided it was best to leave it for another day. "Ned, what's going on? Why is Peter in Brooklyn?"

Ned, seeing that Mrs. H was getting right to business, did a quick rehash on everything that had happened so far. She listened with patient indifference and by the end of it one could tell she was trying to keep a lid on her temper. "He's gone to confront this man on his own. From the sounds of it, that man wouldn't hesitate to kill Peter… I have to go. Ned, thank you for alerting me." She smiled at the young man before a sudden piercing pain erupted from Peter's link. She doubled over in shock, her breath coming in gasps as she felt his sincere panic and fear. He was in serious trouble.

"Mrs. H, are you ok?" Ned asked with worry as he watched the woman stumble back and lifted her left hand.

"H-have to go," was all she managed out before she conjured a gateway, following her pull toward Peter, and stepping through it. The gateway faded from view in a shower of fiery sparks, Ned having watched the whole thing with his mouth wide open.

"That is _so cool!"_ He said with a smile before he turned around back to one of the laptops to close off the tracking program he had been using to track Peter's phone.

It was a blessed thing she had disappeared the moment she had because about thirty seconds later the lights to the computer lab had turned on. "What are you doing here? There's a dance."

Ned turned around to see Ms. Warren standing beside the light switch, staring at him expectantly.

"Uh…" Ned quickly shut the monitor to the laptop he was sitting in front of. "I'm… looking… at… porn…" he said very slowly, staring at the teacher with an unblinking gaze.

-o-

The moment Ana stumbled out of the gateway, she inhaled a cloud of dust and tripped over rubble, the gateway closing behind her. She could feel that Peter was near somewhere but the roof to this building had collapsed. She gripped her left side, feeling a slight twinge as a cough escaped her.

"Hello?!" A panicked voice called from the rubble. "Please! Anyone, please!" His gasping screams were cutting to the heart of Ana. "I'm down here! I'm down here! I'm stuck! I can't move, I…" His screaming died down to gasping breaths mixed with panicked sobs.

Ana was about to move over to the rubble when she felt her muscles tighten and she stumbled over her own feet. She fell to her knees among a pile of broken concrete and rhubarb as she felt Erin's presence pressing against the clear wall between them. Without warning, Erin had blocked the link between them and Peter, effectively keeping him from realizing that they were there. He was too panicked to have sensed them. ‘ _Don't Ana. Let him do this.’_

_‘A-are you sure? Erin, he's crying out for help.’_

_‘You said so yourself. He's strong. Let him do this. He needs this. We can't always be there for him.’_

Ana couldn't fault the logic her other self presented and the fact that it was Erin – who felt the strongest love and protective instincts for him out of them both – that voiced this kept Ana where she was.

A few aching heartbeats passed as Ana listened and waited. She could hear his gasping breaths easing out but nothing else. She was trying her utmost to stifle down the urge to run to him and help him out of there. It was going against every familial instinct in her.

That was when she heard it.

He was talking, talking to himself, as his voice got stronger. "C'mon Peter… C'mon Spider-Man… C'mon Spider-Man!" She could hear the rubble shifting from where he was and she bit down the urge to cry out in joy as he started to push the rubble off. He was doing it. Slowly but surely, he was pushing the large metal working of air ducts and concrete pillars off himself.

Ana was silently cheering him on as he heaved and pushed and finally freed himself from the rubble.

A burst of pride erupted from Erin's side and it overflowed into Ana, who had remained low on the ground, stifling her mouth to keep from making any noise. She watched as he donned his mask, his gaze focused on something in the distance. Ana followed his gaze and saw that there looked to be some kind of oversized bird on a nearby billboard…

Realization hit her as she recognized the thing to be the man with the wings that Peter had been tailing.

Peter took off without hesitation – not even realizing his mentor was near in his haste – and shot off some webs to propel himself up onto the billboard, just as Toomes had taken off into the air. He didn't notice Spider-Man had tailed him and had shot off a piece of webbing that had caught on the wings. Soon both the Vulture man and Spider-Man were taking off into the air and heading in the direction of Avengers Tower.

Ana had finally let out the breath she had been holding in a whooping holler of delight as she jumped to her feet. "He did it!"

_‘He did. This is his battle now though.’_

_‘It doesn't mean he needs to be alone.’_

_‘No, we'll watch from a distance. They'll have to land somewhere. When they do, we'll meet him there.’_

It was a surreal experience to be having this internal conversation with her other self. The closer they pressed against the clear wall, the easier it was for their thoughts to flow back and forth. Ana rather liked it.

Wincing slightly at the twinge of pain her left side gave as she moved down the rubble, she ignored it and conjured a gateway, her destination clear. She would need a bird's eye view of what was going on and the best vantage point would be at the tower. Besides, she had a few things to discuss with Happy Hogan…

-o-

Ok, he wasn't going to lie.

This whole situation was beyond scary and crazy.

He was on the outside of an invisible jet on the night of Homecoming, fighting his crush's dad.

The sound of swooping turbines and the quick flash of something dark flew past him.

Yeah, this was normal. He could handle this no problem.

The Vulture had come back around and dove straight for him, his metal wings slicing the side of the jet. Spider-Man had managed to duck and shot out a piece of webbing that attached to the back of the wings and pulled him out into the air. He shot out another piece of webbing that attached to the side of the jet and let out a grunt at the sudden stop, his muscles straining as he pulled tight on the webbing. The Vulture was pulled to a stop as well, but the force was too strong and the webbing had pulled off a piece of the reflective paneling.

Spider-Man went flying into the air and he let out a yell as he saw that he was soaring straight for one of the two right wing turbine engines of the jet. He shot out a long stream of webbing into the turbine, causing the propellers to get tangled up and stop spinning. He hit the turbine engine at full force just as the Vulture's left wing had collided with the turbine next to it. The sound of grating metal screeched over the failing roar of the engine as it caught on fire.

"I can't believe that worked!" Spider-Man cried before the engine he had been caught in gave way and fell out from the turbine casing. It was caught by his webbing and he frantically reached out to the wing of the jet, his right hand having caught in the propeller. He kicked the engine off and let out a breath in relief as it fell away before he quickly moved to the top of the jet. The relief was quickly replaced by panic as the Vulture had nearly crashed into him, ripping the reflective panels as he went, and Spider-Man dodged out of the way.

It went on that way for a few moments, the Vulture attempting to stab his wings at Spider-Man while destroying the hull of the jet in the process. The debris from the hull went flying toward the rear turbine engine and caused the engine to fail, a burst of flame exploding from it. With three of its engines down, the jet was losing altitude. As Spider-Man was holding onto the plane for dear life, the jet descended through a thick blanket of clouds.

"Oh my god!" He cried as he saw that they were heading straight toward some buildings. Planting his foot down on the hull, he shot out a piece of webbing to the left wing. When he felt it caught, he started to pull, trying his best to turn the jet away from the buildings. "Please turn, please turn!"

With the wing in his grasp and quick prayer to the heavens above, Spider-Man had managed to get the jet to turn away from the buildings. It was descending at a fast rate as it made an arcing turn. The lights of Coney Island could be seen and as Spider-Man tried to turn the jet away from the amusement park, the web snapped. The wing straightened out with a jerk and it made a beeline for one of the landmarks – The Parachute Jump. Spider-Man let out a yell as the left wing of the jet crashed through the ride and cut it in half. The lights dimmed as the Parachute Jump toppled over. Thankfully, the park was closed at this time so there were no civilians within the immediate area.

A small blessing as the jet crash landed on the beach of Coney Island in a fantastic display of sparks and flame.

-o-

Peter's ears were ringing as he pulled off his mask. He let out a groan as he shifted on the sand, his head still spinning from the landing he had just experienced.

He struggled to get to his feet as he glanced around, looking for any signs of Toomes.

There was nothing but boxes and the destroyed wreckage of the jet…

He didn't catch the sound of the turbine engines but the sight of the Vulture swooping in from the darkness caused him to brace himself in surprise. The man had crashed into Peter with such force he had thrown him back a good twenty feet before crashing into the sand himself.

Peter struggled to his feet as he looked at Toomes, seeing that his metal wings had been damaged from the crash.

"Hey Pedro," said Toomes as he struggled to his own feet, pushing back his wings to get them back into position before he took to the air and flew at him.

Peter ran and dodged out of the way, narrowly missing being clipped by those sharp metal wing tips. He turned around just as Toomes did and he shot out some webbing however it had missed his mark. He was still turned upside down from the crash, so his senses were all over the place. Toomes didn't hesitate to take advantage as he crashed into Peter, landing on him and the metal claws of his boots clamped down on Peter, his shout of pain breaking through the sound of the engines of the metal wings.

Toomes landed a few solid punches against Peter's face, his right hand covered in a metal glove that aided his control over the wings. Peter reached out and stopped the next punch from hitting him, his enhanced strength causing the connection of the controller to the wing to spark and malfunction. That didn't stop Toomes and he took to the air, Peter still in his clutches. Peter managed to break off the grip of the claws and he fell toward the ground. He shot out some webbing toward the wings and pulled himself back into the air. He went sailing and collided with Toomes, spinning in midair before Peter was thrown to the ground from the force, the wind getting knocked out of him.

As he struggled to get back up, Toomes landed on him, his claws gripping Peter, and he slammed all his weight onto Peter down onto the ground once and then twice before he let the boy go. Peter turned himself over and managed to dodge his head out of the way of Toomes' stabbing wing. It got caught on the hood of his red hoodie and Toomes' picked him up, Peter's limbs flailing weakly as he studied the nearly unconscious boy…

An inhuman scream erupted from behind Toomes and something collided with his back, tossing him forward like a rag doll and making him drop Peter in the process. He went sailing off toward the ground before crashing into one of the broken boxes that had contained some arc reactors. His metal wings had absorbed the brunt of the assault and the crash, being damaged further because of it. As Toomes struggled to get back on his feet, he saw what it was that had attacked him.

It was one of the Avengers.

The one the public called Mrs. Hulk.

The raging woman was snarling at Toomes as she conjured up what looked like a fiery blade from thin air, the weapon dripping sparks as it wrapped around her crimson veined hand. She had made her way over to the boy and was helping him to his feet, setting him straight so that they both faced Toomes in preparation of a fight.

"Mrs… H?" Peter was looking at the raging woman in surprise, having completely forgotten about his mentor.

"Let's see how well he does against the both of us," she said to him as she glanced down at him, her worry clear on her face as her glowing yellow eyes flicked over him. "Sorry I'm late."

Peter felt her affection and worry through their link and he smiled weakly up at her. "Better late than never," he said, feeling his courage growing as he turned his attention to Toomes. "Let's take care of this asshole and go home…"

Toomes, seeing that the odds had just been changed against him, pulled off his helmet and threw it aside. He didn't have time for this mess. He needed to grab what he needed and go home. He looked around and saw that he was right beside the open box of reactors…

"Bingo," he muttered as he moved his broken and sparking wings. He struggled to fly up toward the box, his metal clawed feet gripping the broken edge. His wings were sparking worse than before as he kept attempting to fly off.

"Your wingsuit… Your wingsuit's gonna explode!" Peter yelled out as he struggled to take a step forward. He could barely lift his right hand as he shot off a stream of webbing, which caught on the edge of the box. Seeing what Peter was doing, Mrs. H had dropped her weapon, the fiery blade fading from view, and rushed over to help him. Standing beside him, she wrapped her hands around his and started to help him pull, yanking the man back a good several feet and causing several of the reactors to fall out of the box.

Toomes glanced at them, a manic smile on his face. "Time to go home, Pete!" he said as he struck his right wing forward and snapped the webbing off. He then turned and continued his attempts to fly off with the box, his wings sparking with purple energy.

"He's insane," said Mrs. H as she quickly took Peter against her side and conjured a fiery shield just as Peter shouted in protest. The wings let out a bright flash and Toomes fell to the ground with the box, fiery debris flying toward them and crashing harmlessly against the shield. Once the eruption had died down, Mrs. H released Peter, the shield fading from view. The young man didn't hesitate to run toward the crash site, the flames were burning high and hot.

Mrs. H followed him and quickly conjured a shield around him, protecting him from the fire and heat, knowing what his intentions were. He made his way toward the left-over pieces of a bent metal wing and reached down to turn it over. He hissed in pain from the heat, nearly dropping the metal, but tried again and managed to lift the metal out of the way.

A heartbeat later, Peter was making slow and careful steps out of the fire and toward Mrs. H, Toomes slung over his shoulders. Moving forward, she took the man from his shoulders and slung him over her own, seeing that her protégé was about to collapse on his own feet. He threw her a grateful smile as he reached up to grip his right shoulder. Mrs. H turned on her feet and made her way toward a cooler part of the beach, dropping Toomes unceremoniously on the sand.

The older man let out a coughing breath as he looked up at her and then at Peter, slight confusion in his gaze.

Mrs. H turned back to Peter and gave a sweet smile as she made her way over to him and wrapped him up in a careful hug. "I am _so_ proud of you," she whispered in his ear.

Peter felt the flush of embarrassed pleasure and joy at those words and his smile was shaking from fatigue. When she pulled away from him, he looked up at her. "What now?"

She glanced down at Toomes before she looked at the wreckage surrounding them. "Let's wrap this mess up before anyone gets here… I think Happy would like the gift, don't you think?"

Peter let out a chuckle as he nodded in agreement.

"Then, I say we get a nice bowl of ice cream… All this heat is making my throat dry."

Peter's burst of laughter at those words caused Mrs. H to smile at him and she gave him one last hug before they both turned to get to work.


	108. So, You Do the One Thing

_I might not be there for all your battles_

_But you'll win them eventually_

_I'll pray that I'm giving you all that matters_

_So one day you'll say to me_

_I am magical_

_I am me…_

**Love My Life** – Robbie Williams

-o-

Chapter 108: So, You Do the One Thing

"So, you do the one thing we ask you not to do… It's a miracle nothing bad happened while you were conjuring gates all over the place."

"Your side appears less tender than when last we saw you," said Wong as he carefully inspected Ana's side, his experienced hands moving over her ribcage. "Your enhanced healing seems to be picking up again." He looked at her, a sparkle of amusement appearing in his dark eyes as they listened to Strange in the background.

"I should take away your sling ring," he said as he paced behind Wong, his frustration clear as he glanced at Ana. "Let's see how quick you are to disregard my orders then."

Ana was smiling at Wong and trying not to laugh as Strange continued pacing in the background of the guest room. After dropping Peter back at the school so he could change and get back to the dance – so his Aunt May would be none the wiser – a gateway had appeared beside her and rushed toward her. The next moment she had found herself in the same guestroom as before in the Sanctum where Wong and Strange were waiting for her.

She had been listening to Strange going on for the past twenty minutes about her recklessness while Wong had been seeing to her side to make sure she hadn't damaged anything. To say that Strange had been worried about her was an understatement and she couldn't help but find the whole situation ironic and funny. Wong was in full agreement because he had been fighting back the urge to smile since Strange was going off on his apprentice.

"I think you have mastered the sling ring very well in the time since you have been with us," said Wong as he carefully pulled down her black camisole and handed the rest of her outfit and coat back. "I take it that you and Erin have been working together more effectively?"

A flash of a yellow glow could be seen as Ana gave a nod in reply, her smile was bright.

Wong's smile was one of pride as he nodded to himself. "Then, I see no harm done."

"No harm done?" Strange frowned as he turned to look at his friend. "She's healing! She could have easily hurt herself again, Wong."

"But she didn't," said Wong as he looked at Strange. "She had shown great control and restraint while conjuring her gateways or else she would not be here in one piece. Relax Stephen, what is done is done."

Strange frowned at his friend before he focused his piercing gaze her way and pointed a forefinger. "You're on probation until I say otherwise. No more conjuring, only studies until I feel I can trust you again to follow instructions. Understand?"

Ana bit back the laughter that was threatening to bubble up, understanding his concern and worry for her. She gave a firm nod as her eyes sparkled with friendly affection. " _Oui, monsieur,_ " she said.

Strange's frown had disappeared at the sudden change in language, his finger dropping slightly, as he stared at her. There was a moment of awkward silence before he cleared his throat and looked away. "Good," he said before he dropped his hand to his side and looked at Wong.

Wong was smiling in a knowing way but said nothing as Ana got up from the bed. She made her way over to him to lean up to press a warm kiss against his cheek. He leaned down with a smile, accepting the gesture.

Ana then turned and walked over to Strange, reaching up to pull the taller man down by the front of his shirt and pressing a kiss against his cheek as well. "Thank you," she said, her smile was warm as she pulled away.

A muscle ticked in his jaw as Strange straightened, not quite meeting her gaze. "…You're welcome."

"Ana, when you are ready, I will conjure a gate to send you back home," said Wong as Ana turned to look at him. "We'll have a new curriculum for you when you are ready to resume your studies."

"I would like that," she said as she nodded before looking at Strange. "Have a good night Stephen. I am sorry for causing you worry."

"As Wong said, no harm done," said Strange as he cleared his throat again. "I'll follow up with you in a couple days."

She nodded before she looked at Wong. "Shall I meet you downstairs?"

"Go ahead Ana," said Wong. "I need to finish up here."

Ana nodded again and gave a quick wave to Strange before she left the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Wong looked at Strange with an expectant look, a dark brow raised in question.

Strange caught the look and raised a finger, a meaningful look in his blue-green eyes. "Not… one… word."

Wong chuckled and shook his head, finding the entire situation to be quite humorous.

-o-

A week had passed since the entire fiasco with the jet and things seemed to be settling down.

Peter had been taken to upstate New York to the Avengers compound by none other than Happy, who was looking a little more kindly to the boy after all that had been done. It had also helped that he had been on the receiving end of a very angry tirade that had been a mix of English and French curse words by a small woman who cared very much about the boy. Happy never again wanted to be on the receiving end of that anger. He never realized just how scary that anger could be when it was directed your way.

Once at the compound, Tony Stark had been there to greet Peter with a welcome smile and an arm around the shoulder. Peter had to admit, it felt good to be welcomed like that.

When Tony had offered him the position of being an official member of the Avengers, Peter could only struggle to breathe for a moment. It had been everything he had ever hoped and dreamed for and yet, after everything he had been through, he knew he wasn't quite ready for the big leagues.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," said Peter as he glanced at the new Spider-Man suit that was on display before he looked at the older man. "But I'm good."

"Good?" Tony tilted his head slightly as he looked at the boy. "How are you good?"

"Well, I mean, I'd rather just stay on the ground a little while. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," said Peter as he punched a fist against his hand, a part of him still wanting this but he knew just not now. "Somebody's got to look out for the little guy, right? And, I still got a lot more to learn from Mrs. H… If she still wants to be my mentor."

"You're turning me down?" asked Tony, a slight look of surprise in his hazel eyes. "You better think on this. Look at that." He pointed to the suit and Peter glanced at it, a look of longing striking through his young features. "Look at me." Peter looked back at him. "Last chance. Yes or no?"

"No," said Peter.

"Ok, it's kind of a Springsteeny, world class hero vibe that I dig," said Tony as he nodded and tapped his watch, the suit disappearing behind a rotating wall. "Happy will take you home. I'll let Ana know your decision, she'll be happy to hear she gets to keep babysitting you."

"Seriously?" Peter smiled at that bit of news.

"Yeah seriously," said Tony, a slight smirk on his goateed lips. "Can't have Spider-Man running around the neighborhood without his ghost. The YouTube vids are hilarious."

Peter chuckled a bit before he took a step back. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"Yes, Mr. Parker, very well. See you around."

"Ok," he paused as he looked at the door to the next room. "That was a test right? There's nobody back there?"

"Yes," said Tony as he waved him off. "You passed. All right, skedaddle there, young buck."

Peter nodded before he turned and walked off, a smile dancing on his lips.

As he walked off, Happy turned to look at Tony. "Told you he was a good kid," he said with a smile.

Tony laughed as he pointed at Happy. "Actually I think it was Ana who told you… Very passionately, I might add, in both English _and_ French…"

Happy winced at the memory and nodded. "Yeah, all right…"

-o-

When Peter arrived home, he called out to his aunt May as he made his way to his room.

He paused in surprise as he caught sight of a brown paper bag on top of his bottom bunk. Curious, he walked over to the bag and saw there was a note written on it in black magic marker.

_This belongs to you. – T.S._

An overwhelming feeling welled up in him as he opened the bag, finding a familiar red suit...

-o-

The vibration and ping coming from Ana's new phone caught her attention from the sandwiches she had been making. In the background, the sound of giggling laughter could be heard as Luc and Beccie were playing with some toys.

Wiping her hands, Ana moved over to grab her phone and found a message from Peter.

_Help! Aunt May just found me in my suit! She's asking all these questions! I told her I was going to a costume party – I'm sorry!_

A laugh escaped her as she looked at the message and then glanced at her children, who were now running around the living room of the apartment. Shaking her head, she swiped away the message and pulled up her contacts. Setting the phone between her shoulder and ear, she moved back to finish making the twins' lunch as the phone rang.

"Hey kiddo," said Tony, a smile could be heard in his voice.

"Hey big brother," said Ana, her laughter already bubbling out of her. "Gotta favor."

"What have you done for me lately?" he asked, not even hesitating.

"I have the twins with me right now," said Ana, her smile growing as she heard the smile in Tony's voice.

"Oh, do you now? Ok, I'm listening."

"How soon can you pull together an Avengers-themed costume party? I think the twins would love it. Luc loves Spider-Man…"

A moment of silence and then: "Give me a half an hour."

-o-

"Cut with the bullshit Peter," May said as she frowned at him. "Where in the world would you be going that throws a costume party at this time of da-" A knock on the apartment door cut May off and she glanced back at the living room before she looked at her nephew. "This isn't over."

Peter let out a shaky sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, moving over to the doorway of his bedroom.

He listened as his aunt opened the front door and Ana's voice drifted in.

"Hi May! Are you ready? Happy's here to drive us over."

"Ana? What?" came May's confused response before the sound of two children laughing could be heard.

"Hi May!" They said in unison and Peter recognized the voices belonging to Luc and Beccie.

A bubble of hope rose up in his chest as he stepped out of his bedroom and slowly made his way toward the living room. Looking around the corner, he saw that Ana was there with her children – the children were decked out in costumes that looked suspiciously like Thor and Captain America. Ana herself had a mask on top of her head, one that was a goofy one of the Hulk. She was smiling at May's confused expression.

"Didn't Peter tell you? Tony's throwing a costume party for the twins. Peter told me he wanted to go so I thought you were coming as well."

"I…" May blinked in confusion before she looked back and caught her nephew's eye, faint surprise at the thought that her nephew might've been telling the truth. "No, he did. I… didn't have time to get a costume together, seeing as he didn't tell me till the last minute." She glared at her nephew before she turned around to smile at Ana and the kids.

"Oh, don't worry about it; it's for the kids anyway. Get your things, we'll wait."

"Uh, yeah, sure," May said with a smile. "Be right back."

As she turned away to go and grab her things, Peter had caught Ana's eye and a slight grateful smile touched his lips. Ana pursed her lips in turn and pointed a finger at him, her meaning clear.

He owed her _big_ time for this one…

-o-

~End of Part 5~


	109. He Wishes to See You

_I'm here again_

_A thousand miles away from you_

_A broken mess_

_Just scattered pieces of who I am_

_I tried so hard_

_Thought I could do this on my own_

_I've lost so much along the way…_

**Pieces** – Red

-o-

~Intermission~

Chapter 109: He Wishes to See You

"He wishes to see you."

Strange's deep voice had broken through Ana's concentration. The flow of lava that she had been carefully manipulating through the air around a sort of obstacle course cooled and hardened to blackened rock before it fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. Ana sighed heavily as she looked at the broken mess, dropping her hands as residual fiery sparks faded from her fingertips.

"Sorry," said Strange as Ana turned around to face him. "You're getting better."

They were in the New York Sanctum in one of the many large rooms that the townhome seemed to have. The Mirror Dimension was quite a safe place to practice spells and enhanced abilities without the threat of harming anyone or anything. This was where Strange had found her that morning.

She gave a slight smile at the compliment as she reached up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. " _Merci_ ," she said as she relaxed in her stance. "I need more practice but Erin has been a big help… Anyway, what were you saying? Who wishes to see me?"

Strange had looked away from the shattered pieces of black rock and focused his gaze back on her. "Odin."

A slight frown twitched between her brows as she moved over to Strange. "Odin? That's odd… I thought he did not wish to be disturbed?"

"Indeed… but he had contacted me with a request to send you to him. At your acquiescence, of course." His gaze remained focused on her, watching the conflicted emotions that spanned her features. Strange knew that Ana did not hold any sort of warmth to the Asgardian king. Long before she had ever met Strange, the All Father had sworn an oath to protect her and all that was hers from any threats that may come. The king had not fulfilled his promise for reasons consisting of problems within his own realm but Ana and Erin had never forgotten that slight. Even so, with all Ana had gone through over the past year and a half since her husband's disappearance, she had grown. Forgiveness was too big a thing to ask at this time but setting aside one's ill feelings was a talent she had come to master.

"Very well," said Ana after a moment of thoughtful silence. "Let me clean up first though…"

Strange gave a slight smile as he nodded at her, a gentle chuckle escaping as he conjured a gateway to take them back to their reality…

-o-

Odin – son of Bor, son of Bestia, King of Asgard and father of Thor and Loki – was sitting on a lone boulder by a seaside cliff. Of all the moments in his long life that he had lived, this peaceful moment beside this cliff which overlooked this turbulent Norwegian Sea was one of his favorites. The time that had passed in his self-exile here to Midgard has been his most peaceful now that he thought on it. Each day that passed, he could feel his life force slipping away and he could hear his beloved Frigga calling him ever closer to come home…

But there were still a couple of things he needed to take care of before he could finally leave this plane of existence. One of his tasks was to ensure that the Daughter of Lytta would choose the path needed to secure victory for the battles to come for his sons... He only hoped that he had not pushed her away too far. His only hope lay in the fact that she, as part Lyttan, still bore the lingering need of bringing her mate back within her warm embrace. From what he understood, her mate had disappeared from the face of this realm… He needed her here to test his theory and if there was a chance…

He knew she would not hesitate to do what she could to bring her mate home and Thor would have a higher chance of securing their people's survival.

The sound of familiar sizzling caught his ear just a few feet behind him and a soft smile appeared on his aged face, his wrinkles deepening. He kept his gaze on the crashing waves in the distance as he felt the presence of the Lyttan woman behind him.

"You have grown strong since I've last seen you, Red Lady," said Odin as he took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the brine that traveled on the wind. "It makes this old fool smile…"

"Borson," she said in greeting, her accented voice was soft but there was a distinct husk beneath it. That was a good sign; it meant both minds of the woman were paying close attention.

"Come, sit with me," he said, gesturing to the space beside him on the boulder.

There was silence from behind him, a moment's hesitation, before he heard her soft footfalls against the grass. When she sat down beside him, he glanced at her with his one eye, seeing Ana for the first time in over three years. She had grown – both physically, mentally, and spiritually – into a fine woman. She bore the hardships she had endured with poise. It was evident in her as she sat with her back straight, her head held high, as she gazed at the ocean. Odin could not help but think that, had it not been for her missing mate, she would not be the person sitting beside him now. He felt an inkling of respect toward the strength he sensed within her. Her training under the wizard had been a fruitful venture.

Odin followed her gaze as he sighed. "Is this not beautiful? Such strength and power within something that can appear so calm… I had never told my sons of this but I always held a soft spot for this place."

A slight tilt of her lips was the only response she gave.

They sat there in companionable silence for several minutes, listening to the roar of the waves as they crashed against the cliff side.

Finally, Ana turned her gaze toward the Asgardian beside her, a curious look in her gaze as a flash of a yellow glow erupted. "What do you wish of me, Borson? You would not send for me without reason and it would only be for a reason to help you and yours. So tell me, what darkness comes to threaten Asgard that would cause you to seek my aid?"

Odin smiled at that, knowing that the Red Lady would see through him, and not faulting her for her distance and wariness. He nodded toward the horizon. "Frigga calls me home… I hear her clearer and clearer each day. My time on this plane will be ending soon… It is because of this that I asked the wizard to aid and train you. Thor will be returning to Asgard and when he does he will seek me out. I am afraid by that time it will be too late. I will be honest with you Red Lady – I wish for you to help him. I do not know when he will arrive but I do know that when he does, it will mean the beginning of the end for our people…"

"Ragnorok," she said, a slight frown appearing.

"It may be," he said with a nod and he glanced at her. "But it is also something closer… A part of my regretful past actions that will come back to haunt my sons." For the first time in a long time, Odin was honest as he explained the trouble that was to come. Ana listened quietly, not interrupting him, though her anger was quite clear at the tale he had told. After he was done, he gave a sad smile. "I know that with you he will win his battles to come. I will understand if you refuse – I have done nothing to warrant your loyalty thus far. However, before you do, allow me to give you a glimpse of something."

Ana, curious and still wary, tilted her head at Odin, unintentionally giving him a perfect access to the back of her neck.

Reaching out, the All Father called upon the tendrils of his dying power and connection to Asgard, while he gripped the back of her neck. A bright flash of golden light and Ana's gasping breath erupted as her eyes disappeared beneath a yellow glow. Amidst the connection of familial links, one link in particular flared to life and for one brief moment there was a pull. It was pulling up toward the sky, far beyond Earth, and toward the greater expanse of space.

The great distance was pulling the link taunt and tight but a trickle of something came through. At first it was a slight hint of anger but then it became an onslaught of despairing rage and sadness. It lasted for just a moment but it had been more than enough.

"Bruce," she said, a gasping sob escaping her lips as she felt the emotions of her mate, felt the pull to where he was, and her love for him instinctually pulsed through the link toward wherever he was.

After this, Odin released her, feeling the fatigue as he let out a heavy breath, and turned his gaze back to the horizon. They sat in silence as the wind continued to blow, the ocean continued to roar, and Ana's gasping breath continued to escape her.

"I suspected as much," said Odin as he clasped his hands in his lap. "Wherever he may be, I can say that if you aid my son in his quest, you will find your mate... But it is your choice. Think on it, Red Lady…"

Ana continued to gasp, feeling the residual pull toward her husband and mate and a part of her was tempted. So tempted… After a moment, her lips thinned as she straightened and swallowed back her sobs. "…This is low Borson… Even for you…" she said but he had caught her as he hoped. "We will think on it… and you will have our answer by the next full moon." She looked at him at that moment, her anger quite clear. "This is your final chance. Pray your manipulative ways work in your favor this time or else your son will be the one to suffer in the long run."

He didn't respond and she didn't wait for an answer.

Instead, she got to her feet and walked away, the sizzling sound of a gateway opening for her as she disappeared from sight.

The old man was left alone as before, staring wistfully out toward the horizon of the Norwegian Sea…

-o-

He dropped his weapon the moment he was in his rooms, his muscles aching while the blood of his latest conquest dripped from his hands.

No matter how many victories he had, fights that he won, the ache in the center of his chest and his mind would not go away.

He rubbed angrily at the spot above his heart, the lingering sadness and emptiness beginning to rise again now that the rage of battle was over. He pulled off his heavy armor and dropped it to the floor beside his weapon. The moment he did, the ache in his chest suddenly disappeared and something was pulling, taunt and tight.

Something familiar and aching trickled in through the link that had been quiet for so long – an aching love that pierced the heart of him.

He doubled over from the pain of that pull and a part of him that he had kept locked down tight managed to crack through the wall.

_Ana…_

As quickly as it happened, it was over and he let out a gasping growl as he quickly pushed back that part of himself deep down and locked tight. He wasn't sure what had happened but it had to be a trick…

She was gone…

There was no way she could be…

He lifted his left hand and looked down at the gold band that adorned his finger, the yellow metal shining brightly beneath the lights of the room. Rage began to build all over again as he took his weapon and hurled it across the room, his roar echoing throughout the entire building…


	110. Part 6: Ana, I'm Telling You

_Remember me_

_Though I have to travel far_

_Remember me_

_Each time you hear a sad guitar_

_Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be_

_Until you're in my arms again..._

**Remember Me** – Coco, Disney

-o-

~Part 6~

Chapter 110: Ana, I'm Telling You

"Ana, I'm telling you this is a bad idea," said Tony as he paced the length of the living room of the small home, his frown deep as he repeatedly ran his fingers over and over his goatee. "It could be a one way trip."

Erai and Betty were sitting on the couch, their hands clasped tightly as they watched Tony. Jenn and Vision were standing beside the fireplace, their gazes flicking between the others in the room. Dr. Strange was on the other side of the room, standing quietly as he watched the family – Wong was guarding the Sanctum while Strange was here. Even Pepper and Peter were there. The only other ones missing were Luc and Beccie, who were asleep upstairs in their room.

After her strange encounter with Odin, Ana had brought the entire family together – along with their friends– for this meeting. It had been a strange series of introductions to those who had never met prior to this but it had been necessary. This was something that she could not decide on her own. Her choice, if decided, would affect everyone. If she decided to trust what Odin had shown her, she would be leaving Earth to go on some wild goose chase through the Nine Realms to search for her missing husband – not counting the trouble that Thor would be getting into because of Odin's past. She would be leaving behind everyone and everything she had worked so hard to protect. If something were to go wrong, who knew if she would be able to find her way back to them. Then, Luc and Beccie, would be without either of their parents… Yet, there was still that hope. If she could find Bruce, she could finally bring him home where he belonged…

Ana was sitting in an armchair as she watched her brother pace back and forth, her worry clear as she twisted and twisted her wedding band. She couldn't fault his worry and she understood which was why she didn't speak up against his protest. She needed this. She needed to weigh the pros and cons of such a choice. She needed to hear from everyone she loved and cared for, her family and friends, to have a better idea on what path she should take.

"There has to be a way Mrs. H can come back," said Peter as he glanced at Tony before glancing at Ana and seeing the strained look on her face. He looked back at Tony. "I mean, isn't there like some super Iron Man suit with a hyperactive hyper drive you got hidden away somewhere, Mr. Stark?"

Tony paused in his pacing and turned around to glare at the boy. "Regardless of how far along my tech is a hyperdrive is still in the realm of sci-fi at this time. So no, I don't." He continued pacing, deep in thought as his mind went over and over the problem. He loved his sister very much and he couldn't fault her for wanting to go out and find Bruce. Hell, if he was in her place, he wouldn't hesitate to go after Pepper. Yet, she had her children to think about. The fact that she had even hesitated and called them all together to discuss it is what made him open to even think about it.

"Perhaps if I can interject," came Vision's voice as he broke through the tense silence. When all eyes had turned to him, he glanced at Jenn. "With the recent discovery of the Mystic Arts, by way of Ana's association with Dr. Strange," he gestured toward the man in question. "We have discovered that there is a multiverse from which their… spells and conjured items derive their source of power. One item of note is the 'sling ring' I believe is the term, Dr. Strange?"

The Master of the Mystic Arts had given a single nod toward the being, his keen interest in Vision having been caught from the moment they met. After all, this being had one of the six Infinity stones imbedded in his forehead. It was not a common occurrence for one, let alone two, such cosmic stones to be found in the same place – not counting Erin and Erai's previous association with the Reality stone. He found it worrisome but did not say anything in regards to it. This being named Vision, seemed to be a worthy possessor of the stone, if only because of the insightful and intelligent way he presented himself and the simple fact that he sincerely cared for those around him. Yet, it was something that Dr. Strange was going to have to speak with Tony, Ana, and Jenn about at a later time.

"These rings appeared to be imbued with the power to open and sustain dimensional portals in space and time between two different points on the planet," continued Vision as he focused his gaze on Ana. "Who's to say that such an item would not be capable of opening a portal between two points in the universe? With enough power… Perhaps that would be an option to consider researching in Ana finding her way back home."

Dr. Strange had listened to this with interest before he felt compelled to add his thoughts. "The sling rings _are_ capable of opening gateways between points in the multiverse. It just takes a great deal of concentration and summoning of that power to do so. Ana and Erin are getting more proficient in their training however I don't know if it would be a viable option at her level at this time. Not to mention, if she loses her sling ring, it would defeat the entire purpose."

"But it's not an impossibility," said Pepper as she glanced at Strange. "She may have time to train harder at this before Thor gets here but it's an option that could work. Let's not push it aside just yet…" Her voice had been an unexpected one in support of Ana going to find Bruce. Considering how adamant she was towards Tony not involving himself in fights, she also understood. She had been there since the beginning and if there was one thing she could say: The love between Bruce and Ana was the epitome of true love. If there was any way for Bruce to come back home, she couldn't fault Ana in her desires and she wanted to see the twins have their father back.

"Maybe if it was something that she could not lose," said Jenn as she glanced at the others before looking at Dr. Strange. "These objects are imbued with the energy… Isn't it the intent of the spell itself and not the object that causes these gateways to remain open? Is there way to imbue some other item with the same spell? Something that could handle the strain of the energy and not risked being lost along the way?"

Dr. Strange raised his brows at this suggestion, the thought not having occurred to him. "Maybe… I would need to research the incantations and spells that are used in the creation of a sling ring. It would also depend on the item in question…"

"Supersuit…" said Tony under his breath as he paused in his pacing, his hazel eyes growing bright as an idea took hold.”Technomancy… Magitech…" He focused his gaze on Dr. Strange as he turned slightly to face him. "Hey Mysterio, what does your super-secret cult say about technology? Have you ever used your magic tricks with any kind of machines or tech?"

Dr. Strange, who frowned at Tony's nickname for him, was once more caught off guard by the train of thought given to him. His frown eased as he folded his arms across his chest. "It's not strictly forbidden… it's just not well practiced. Such practices had been done in the Sanctums for minor items for comfort. Like a wifi router or electric wiring… But that is a completely different kind of spell. Simple little things. The incantations used in a sling ring are powerful. It would more than likely short circuit and even destroy the electronic in question if you attempted to imbue it."

"It wouldn't be any old tech," said Tony as he continued pacing. "It might work… Will need to do some tests…" He stopped once more and looked at Strange. "Would you have some free time? I got a couple things in mind but I'll need your input since you're the master of card tricks and what not."

Strange's frowned deepened and was about to retort when the sound of laughter broke through. All eyes turned to look at Ana, who had stifled her laugh with a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were twinkling as she looked between her teacher and her brother before she removed her hand. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't laugh but…"

Tony and Strange glanced at each other before looking back at Ana, their forms relaxing as some of the humor could be found.

"I think," said Erai as he glanced at Betty, his hand squeezing hers tightly, "that if there was any way for Bruce to find his way back home to us… Ana and Erin would be the ones to light the way for him." He looked at the others in the room as he took in a breath. "His link with the family is still intact though it had been silent up until this point. We now know he is alive. Bruce needs to come home. He has been gone long enough. His children are growing and they are aware of his absence." He looked at Ana and gave a soft smile at his sister. "We will support your choice if you decide to go after your wayward mate. Betty and I will do as we have sworn and protect Luc and Beccie with all that we are."

Betty nodded in agreement as she looked at Ana. Being the mate of a Lyttan herself, she understood exactly what having such a strong mental link with the one you love meant. She could hardly imagine what pain Ana had had to live through all this time. If she had been in the same situation, she knew she would want to find Erai. "Find Bruce and bring him home Ana."

"I say go for it," said Peter as he smiled at Ana. "I can watch the neighborhood fine on my own till you get back."

"Thanks everyone," said Ana, her smile was heartfelt as she looked around the room at the people she loved and cared for. "It means so much to me… Erin and I need more time to think about it. If there is a way to bring us back home, we want to do it. But if there isn't… We don't want to risk being stranded and I can't stand the thought of never coming back to the twins…"

"So," said Tony as he clapped his hands. "Mysterio and I will get to work on that, we'll find something that works. In the meantime kiddo, you get to work on becoming the best witch Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I swear to god Tony if you don't knock it off," said Ana, though her laughter spilled out of her.

It felt good to have her loved ones with her and she knew if she was to succeed in this, it wouldn't be without their support. If they were lucky, Bruce would be finding his way home soon…

-o-

_Several months later_

_Outside on the gated grounds of DuPont Manor_

" _Happy Birthday Luc and Beccie… Happy Birthday to you_!"

At the completion of the song, the four year old twins blew out the candles of their respective birthday cakes, amidst the cheering from their family.

Once it was done, Luc and Beccie Banner looked expectedly up at their Uncle Tony, their _Tante_ Jenn, Uncle Ray and Aunt Betty, and Mama, knowing that the gifts were soon to be given.

The birthday party had been a lot of fun with Uncle Tony not pulling out any stops. There was a full blown petting zoo, bouncy castles, pony rides, and an actual Ferris wheel complete with carnival games. It had been the best day the twins could ever remember having.

Yet, Beccie couldn't help but sense that there some sadness and worry lingering about the links of the family. When she had reached and taken her brother's hand, she could sense through their twin bond that he had noticed the unease as well. It was stemming from everyone but it was all focused on Mama.

After cake and presents, the party continued – their guests ranging from local kids invited from the nearby town to the kids in big brother Peter's class. It was during this time that the twins followed their link to Mama, leading away from the grounds and deeper into a secluded garden where a lily pond with a fountain could be found. It was there that they found their mother, staring wistfully at the water as she sat on a bench. She had sensed them searching for her so when they came upon her, she held out her arms to them.

Not hesitating, they ran toward Mama and were swept up into her strong arms, settling down on her lap and snuggling close.

They sat that way for some time, staring at the lily pond while the sound of the water fountain burbled through the silence. After a moment, Beccie looked up at her mother and reached up to place a hand against her cheek. Her small hand turned a familiar shade of green while deeper green veins could be seen. Mama's own crimson veins in her neck had glowed at the contact and she closed her eyes, feeling the connection between them, sensing the unasked question and worry.

"Mama, are you going to find Daddy?" she asked, her wide brown eyes studying her mother with a wisdom that seemed far beyond her young years.

Her mother opened her eyes and looked down at her, a slight smile appearing on her lips. "I am," she said, her tone filled with sadness. "He's somewhere very far away and he can't find his way back to us. If I can find him, I can bring him home."

"You have to leave us again," said Luc, a tiny frown appearing on his young face. "You'll be gone a long time, won't you?"

Mama hesitated as she looked at him but gave a single nod. "To find your Daddy, yes…" She took in a breath at that moment as she looked between the two. "But… if you don't want me to leave, I won't. I love you, my sunshines… I won't ever leave you if you don't want me to."

The twins were silent as they studied their Mama before they looked at each other.

Mama missed Daddy so much.

They could feel it even though she tried so hard to hide it.

They missed Daddy too.

Luc and Beccie knew it was important for Mama to find Daddy.

Besides, they wouldn't be alone. They had Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper, Uncle Ray and Aunt Betty, _Tante_ Jenn, even big brother Peter and all of Mama's friends.

And Daddy was all alone…

"Go find Daddy," said Luc as he looked at Mama.

"We miss him too, Mama," said Beccie as she reached out to take Luc's hand, his own small hand turning a shade of familiar red at the contact. "Bring Daddy home."

Mama looked down at her twins, feeling their love and seeing the wisdom and strength within their young eyes. It would seem she had been waiting for their answer because the deep worry they had been sensing within her had lightened. She pulled them closer into a warm embrace and planted a warm kiss on their cheeks. "I promise you, my sunshines… I will find Daddy and we'll come back to you both."

They sat that way in silence as they stared at the lily pond, watching the water as it sparkled beneath the afternoon sun…


	111. Shady Acres Care Home

_I'm gonna search for your love_

_Right through Hell or Heaven_

_Millions of years yet to come_

_And in all dimensions_

_I know that you'll always be my happy ending…_

**Finding You** – Kesha

-o-

Chapter 111: Shady Acres Care Home

 _Shady Acres Care Home_ was the sign that greeted them as they stood on the street corner in New York City.

Behind the sign, the sight and sound of a brick building being demolished was ongoing as construction crew and equipment were hard at work removing debris.

Thor's lips thinned as he stared at what was once a retirement home for the elderly, his arms were crossed as his grip tightened on the umbrella in his hand. His long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail though some stray locks sought their freedom to fall into his eyes. The regular clothing he wore in disguise to blend in with the crowd that walked around them did not do its job and there were a few people who recognized the man for who he was. Thor paid them no mind.

"I swear I left him right here," said his brother from beside him.

"Right here on the sidewalk?" asked Thor as he glanced at Loki, who was decked out in an all-black suit that matched his long black hair. It did not help him to blend in at all. "Or right where the building is being demolished? Great planning…"

"How was I supposed to know?" Loki asked as he glanced at Thor. "Can't see into the future. I'm not a witch."

"Oh no?" said Thor as his gaze quickly flicked over Loki's attire before looking back at the demolished building. "Then why'd you dress like one?"

"Hey," Loki said, a slight frown appearing on his pale face as he glared at Thor.

Thor shook his head as his lips curled into a snarl of disgust. "I can't believe you're alive." He looked back at his brother, his electric blue eyes seeing straight through him. "I saw you die. I mourned you, I cried for you!"

"I'm… honored?" Loki said, his tone of voice slightly dumbfounded and confused.

A little off to Thor's right, a couple of young women who appeared in their very early twenties were slowly making their way over to the god of thunder.

"Ask him," said the first as she let out a soft giggle, her gaze staring adoringly at Thor.

The second woman blushed as she pulled out her phone and edged closer to Thor. "Hi," she said, catching his attention. "Would you mind taking a picture with us?" She held up her phone, her cheeks tinted with a deep pink hue.

"Oh… sure," said Thor as he moved over to lean in behind the two young women, who were giggling in excitement. He glanced back at his brother as a slight frown appeared. "Start figuring out where he is." He then turned his attention back to the phone and gave a charming smile while holding up a peace sign.

"Oh my god," said one of the women as she pulled down her phone in disbelief, her smile bright.

"Sorry to hear that Jane dumped you," said the other as she looked up at Thor with a pitying smile before they quickly said goodbye and went on their way.

"She didn't dump me, you know," said Thor, once the women had disappeared into the crowd. He looked at his brother as he folded his arms across his broad chest. "I dumped her… It was a mutual dumping…"

Loki could only nod as he reached out to slap a hand against his brother's shoulder in a gesture of sympathy...

The sound of sizzling caught their ears and they glanced down to see a spiral of yellow sparks appear around Loki's feet.

"What's this?" asked Thor as he focused his gaze on the sparks before looking at his brother. "What are you doing?"

Loki glanced at his feet before he looked at Thor, his brows raised in surprise as he shook his head. "This isn't me…" A sudden cry erupted from him as the spiral opened up and Loki fell out of sight and into an abyss. The fiery portal closed after him, the sparks fading from view.

Thor leaned into the spot where his brother had been and spotted a piece of parchment on the sidewalk. He reached out his umbrella and carefully poked at it, thinking it might have been one of his brother's many tricks. "Loki?" he whispered before he poked at it again. He didn't receive a response.

Leaning down, he picked up the parchment and saw that there was a note written on it:

_177A Bleecker St_

-o-

_Greenwich Village, New York City_

Making his way across a busy street, Thor's gaze settled on the unassuming townhome that lay before him. He stared at the round window of the top floor, seeing the unique symbol in the panes, before he glanced at the address on the note. He looked at the building and spotted a bronze sign nailed to the brick beside the wooden doors that stated the same address. He was at the right place.

Stepping up to the door, Thor raised a fist to knock once, twice, three times.

On the third knock, a sudden swooping feeling came over him from the inside out and it felt as if his ears were about to pop from some pressure. The next moment, he found himself in an area that seemed to house various glass cases and tables, all with rather strange and unusual objects within them. Confused by the sudden shift in location and wondering if it was a type of transportation magic, he turned around to study his surroundings, noting the unusual window he had seen from outside. So, he must have been on the top floor of this building…

"Thor Odinson," came a deep voice from somewhere behind him and he turned back around toward the window, seeing a shadowy figure hovering there where it had not been before. The figure moved forward into the light, revealing itself to be nothing more than a man. He was dressed in an unusual fashion for one who hailed from Midgard. Though Thor had to admit, as the man came to land on the floor in front of him, he did have fine taste in cloaks. Still, there was magic at play here and he didn't take too kindly to tricks. Thor raised his umbrella as the man walked closer.

The deep red cloak around the man's shoulders fluttered before settling down. He was just a few inches shy of Thor's full height with piercing blue-green eyes, dark hair with silver at the temples that was swept back from an angular face and a goatee that Thor was sure Stark would have been impressed with. The man came to a stop before Thor, his gaze studying the Asgardian before settling on his face. "God of Thunder… You can put down the umbrella."

Thor, still wary, felt a sudden shift beside him and he looked down, noticing a metal umbrella stand had appeared by his hip. Keeping his gaze on the man, he carefully set his umbrella within the stand and the moment he let it go, another swooping feeling overcame him. Thor stumbled slightly on his feet from the sudden shift in location and he found himself in another area of the townhome, this time beside a long wooden table with a set of what looked like decorative metal spikes on display. Thor glanced around before he found the man in question leaning nonchalantly against another table in front of him, watching the Asgardian with a calculative gaze.

"So…" said Thor as he tried to regain some semblance of his demeanor, reaching out to grab one of the metal spikes from the stand. “Earth has wizards now?” He looked at the man as he pointed the spike his way, gesturing to the garb that the man wore. He then turned his attention back to the metal stand and went to put the spike back in place. However, he had knocked one of them over in the process. It seemed that they were being held in place by some force of energy because it had started a domino effect and they all started to topple down onto the tabletop. Thor felt a sudden flush of embarrassment as he tried to put the spikes back in the stand.

"The preferred term is Master of the Mystic Arts," said the man as he watched Thor. "You can leave that now."

Thor, abandoning the spikes as asked, turned around to look at the man and placed his hand on the table, trying to appear cool and collected. "All right, Wizard. Who are you and why should I care?"

The man glanced down at his feet as he gave a slight nod. "My name is Doctor Stephen Strange and I have some questions for you," he said as he glanced back up at the Asgardian. "Take a seat."

Another swooping feeling and a moment later, Thor found himself in a comfortable brown leather armchair. The man named Strange was sitting in a chair across from him, studying him as he rested his temple against the gloved fingers of his right hand. "Tea?" he offered.

At this, that same feeling of displacement was focused in Thor's right hand and he raised it to see a clay cup with warm liquid. Thor's nose scrunched slightly in disgust. "I don't drink tea."

"Well, what do you drink?" asked Strange as he straightened his head and gestured toward the Asgardian.

"Not tea," said Thor as he placed his hand down only to find that a large mug of beer had replaced the cup of tea. His brows rose in pleasant surprise before he took the mug to his lips and drank heartily.

"So, I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that _may_ be a threat to this world," began Strange as he sat up a little straighter in his chair. "You're adoptive brother Loki is one of those beings."

Thor set down the mug, which was empty, as he nodded. "A worthy inclusion," he said as he noticed with pleasure that the mug was quickly refilling to the rim with foamy beer. Thor could not begrudge that his host knew the way to treat a guest.

"We were expecting you to arrive for some time but your brother…" He shook his head, looking slightly exasperated by something. "Why bring him here?" asked Strange as he leaned forward, his piercing eyes on the Asgardian.

"We're looking for my father," said Thor, carefully holding his filled mug.

"So," Strange began, looking down at his gloved hands as he inspected the material. "If I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?"

"Promptly," said Thor with a charming smile.

Strange looked at him as he dropped his hand, his own charming smile emerging. "Great! Then, we'll help you."

"If you knew where he was, why didn't you call me?" asked Thor, a curious look appearing on his face.

"I have to tell you," said Strange. "He was adamant that he not be disturbed. Your father said he had chosen to remain in exile."

"Hm," was all Thor said in reply, nodding as he took a sip of his beer.

"And you don't have a phone."

"No, I don't have a… a phone but you could have sent an electronic letter. It's called an email," said Thor as he looked at Strange, a smug smile appearing on his bearded face.

"Yeah…" said Strange, a slight frown appearing on his face. "Do you have a computer?"

"No, what for?" asked Thor.

"Uh huh…"

"Anyway," Thor set the mug down on the arm of the chair, his hand grasping the handle tightly so he would not spill the beer. "My father is no longer in exile. So, if you could tell me where he is, I can take him home."

"Gladly," said Strange as he got to his feet. "He's in Norway. I'll have my apprentice help you along."

With a swooping feeling, Thor found himself standing in beside a wooden bookcase filled with ancient books and tomes. He blinked as a wave of dizziness swept over him, the mug of beer still in his hand as it slopped over the rim. He switched the mug of beer to his left hand and reached out his right to the top shelf of the bookcase beside him, the dizziness getting slightly worse.

As he did so, he noticed he was standing beside someone who looked very familiar. As the wave of dizziness subsided, he focused his gaze on the short woman who was flipping through a book. He recognized the copper brown curls though they were much shorter than he remembered. She didn't acknowledge his presence beside her as she looked up at Strange, who was standing beside her and looking over her shoulder at the book in her hands.

"Stephen, do you see anything in the incantation requiring modifications for an Asgardian?" she asked, her accented voice bringing back a rush of memories for the Asgardian in question.

"Lady Ana?" he asked, his tone unsure as he frowned down at the woman.

Strange shook his head as he smiled, his gaze focusing on Ana. "Not that I see. Would you feel comfortable attempting it with the gauntlet?"

" _Oui_ ," said Ana as she nodded, closing the book before placing it back on the shelf. "It seems simple enough and it's not failed yet in the previous tests. This distance should be a good one…" Her glance flicked up to Thor at that moment and a smile appeared on her lips. "Hello Thor, it's good to see you again."

Thor opened his mouth to reply but that swooping feeling emerged once more and he was finding himself – and the wooden bookcase he had been leaning on – in a new area of the study. Ana and Strange were standing in front of a wooden table as they looked over a few items that would help with the incantation. Strange, having noticed that the bookcase was behind them, glanced back at it and looked at Thor. "Oh, we don't need that."

With another swooping feeling, the bookcase was back in its previous spot with the Asgardian. Thor stumbled from the dizzying feel of the abrupt jumps, the beer sloshing all over himself as the shelf he had been leaning on gave way and the books tumbled to the floor. He shook his head as he frowned, setting the mug down on a nearby table before flicking the spilled beer off his hands. "Would you stop doing that?"

Strange turned away from Ana as she continued working at the table, looking at Thor inquisitively. "Can I… We need a…" He held up his forefinger. "Just one strand of your hair."

"Let me explain something," said Thor as he frowned, still wiping the spilled beer from his hands and clothes. "My hair is not to be meddled with. Ah!" He winced at the sudden pain from the back of his head and turned around to find Ana had appeared behind him to pull a strand out. He frowned as he looked to where Strange was standing and where Ana had been just a moment prior before looking back at her. "How did you…?" This entire situation was beyond confusing as he looked at his old team mate, seeing the way she pulled on the strand of hair and an orange-yellow light glowed from the strand. She started to fold the strand of light as she walked away, making very unique and confusing gestures with her hands as various shapes appeared in the same fiery light.

Thor had no idea that Ana had even been capable of doing magic… What in all the Nine Realms had happened since he left two years ago?

With another swooping feeling, Thor groaned as he was shifted from the study and landed down on a flight of steps. He tripped and rolled down to sprawl on the floor of what looked like an entryway. He glanced up from his place on the floor as he struggled to his feet, seeing that Ana was still working her intricate gestures with the fiery light. Strange was standing beside her as he watched, nodding in approval.

With a final twist, Ana released the light and did a circular motion with her right hand while her left hand bore a peculiar looking metal glove of some dark material that she hadn't been wearing a moment before. There was a small blue light in the middle of the glove that reminded Thor of Stark's arc reactor. It was at that moment that a fiery portal began to spiral into being and then opened, revealing the sight and sound of what looked like a grassy seaside cliff.

"Very well done," said Strange as he looked at Ana, a proud smile on his face. "Absolutely seamless. I would count this as another success, won't you?"

"Oh yes," Ana said with a laugh as she dropped her hands, the dark gauntlet around her left hand suddenly seeming to break apart before Thor's eyes. Bits and pieces of it were disappearing into the small blue light in her hand until only the blue light remained, revealing it to indeed be a tiny arc reactor in a metal casing. It was imbedded in Ana's left hand and a shifting of fiery yellow light briefly flashed over it, showing that it was a mix of magic and technology. "You and my brother have outdone yourselves."

Strange laughed a little as he nodded. "Nanotech imbued with the powers of a sling ring… I had my doubts but I have to admit your brother's genius and stubbornness yielded results."

"Don't sell yourself short, Stephen," she said with a sweet smile. "He wouldn't have gotten a single step forward on his own without your input and skills. Are you going to consider requesting more be made?"

Strange shook his head as he folded his arms. "I think it's too soon… and we'll need to see if it'll past the final test."

Ana's smile faded as she gave a nod. "Right…"

Thor, who had no idea what the two were talking about, brushed himself off. "We could have just walked…" he said before he shook his head and looked at Ana. "Ana, what in all of Valhalla are you doing here? I didn't know you were capable of wizardry."

Ana turned to face the Asgardian as she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "It's a very long story Thor but the short of it is your father asked for our help. So, here I am. When you're ready, he's waiting for us through that gateway."

"Wait," said Thor as he held up a hand. "My father spoke to you? He requested your help? Whatever for?"

"That's something he'll need to tell you," said Ana in reply before she took in a breath. "And it's again a long story… But I can tell you when we meet with Odin…" She turned her attention to Strange. "I'm going to go on ahead… Hopefully, we will be back soon."

Strange glanced down at his apprentice, some unknown emotion in his eyes as he gave a nod. "Yeah… We've already said our goodbyes... But I'll let everyone know… Good luck on your quest."

Ana smiled as she moved forward to pull Strange down and press a warm kiss against his cheek. "Thank you for everything Stephen…" she said before she looked back at Thor. "When you're ready Thor, step through that gateway. Your father and I will be waiting for you."

And with that she went on ahead, stepping through the portal to disappear to the other side.

A muscle ticked on Strange's jaw as he looked at Thor, his piercing eyes revealing that unknown emotion again. "Promise me, Thor Odinson, that you will protect and aid that woman and bring her back home. She is risking everything to help you and yours. Do not fail her."

Thor, confused and little wary of everything, could only frown as he looked at Strange before looking at the gateway. His father had called Ana to aid them and whatever it was for he couldn't say. He hadn't been given an explanation as to what was going on but, because of his many times of fighting alongside the Red Lady, he knew he could trust her. She was his ally despite what may have happened in his absence. He looked at Strange and gave a nod. "You have my word wizard. Whatever is going on here with my father, she will be under my protection. I will see to it that whatever quest he had given her, she will succeed and I will bring her back home."

Strange gave a nod as his stance seemed to relax from the tense posture it had been in. "Good… Well, you'd best not keep them waiting." He gestured to the gateway before he paused, a sudden thought hitting him. "Oh, don't forget your umbrella."

"Oh yes," said Thor, having almost forgotten after all of the strangeness so far. He held out his hand, calling the umbrella to him. The sound of glass breaking and things smashing could be heard from upstairs. It went on for a moment before an embarrassed look appeared on Thor's face. "Ssssssorry…" he said hesitantly as he looked at Strange, wincing with each smash and crack of an item breaking. Finally, his umbrella came flying down the stairs and into his waiting hand. He brushed off the shards of glass from it before he cleared his throat. "I suppose I'll need my brother back."

Strange frowned slightly before he remembered about Loki and gave a nod. "Oh yeah, right." He lifted his left hand toward the ceiling and made a circular gesture with his right. Another fiery gateway had been spiraled into being and opened, the sound of Loki's scream coming to an abrupt end as he slammed down onto the floor.

Loki took in a heaving breath as he shook the black hair from his eyes. "I have been falling for _forty minutes_!"

Strange glanced down at the god of mischief as he gave a slight shake of his head. "You can handle him from here."

"Yes, of course," said Thor as he stepped forward to this unconventional man and reached out to shake his hand. Any ally of the Red Lady's was an ally of his. "Thank you very much for your help."

"Good luck," was all Strange said as he clasped Thor's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Handle me?" Loki said with a slight snarl as he got to his feet. He turned around to look at Strange. "Who are you? You think you're some kind of sorcerer?" He reached up and pulled out a pair of long daggers from midair as he got into an aggressive stance ignoring Thor's attempts at calming him down.

Strange stared at Loki with a slightly confused look, wondering just what this Asgardian was thinking.

"Don't think for one minute, you second rate…" Loki began as he started rushing forward.

"All right, bye bye," said Strange as he reached out and gestured his right hand forward, summoning the gateway. It rushed forth in a spiral of orange- yellow sparks and Loki went right through it along with Thor. They disappeared from view as the gate faded away.

Strange stared at the spot where the gate had disappeared and a tense look appeared on his face, his worry clear in his blue-green eyes…


	112. The Norwegian Sea

_A race of ancient mercenaries_

_How weak they fought_

_How weak they fought_

_None proved a worthy adversary_

_They all fell at my hands_

_The massacre came so easily_

_None shall live while I still stand…_

**Mistress Death** – Ice Dragon

-o-

Chapter 112: The Norwegian Sea

The Norwegian Sea roared beneath the sight of storm clouds on the horizon, the dark, foaming waters crashing against the wall of a high cliff. Standing along the edge of this cliff, Odin Borson stared out toward the horizon, his single eye focused on the grey clouds. The sight of sunlight streaming through several breaks in the clouds made the entire scene ethereal and Odin had a fond and wistful smile on his face.

When he sensed that someone had come to a stop beside him, his smile had grown as he tilted his head to acknowledge their presence. "Red Lady," he said, his tone sounded weary and the slight hunch in his form revealed that he was growing weaker by the moment. "It warms my heart to see you here… It can only mean that my son has come to find me."

"Yes," said Ana as she folded her arms, watching the churning sea with a somewhat sad look in her eyes. Despite her somewhat cold feelings toward the old king, he was in his last moments. "Both of your sons are here for you… They should be along shortly."

"Loki is here?" asked Odin, his smile growing a little. "How unexpected…" He looked to his right to glance at Ana, his wizened face still bearing the wistful smile. "I thank you for choosing to help my sons… I know that you will find your mate. It may prove to be a difficult path for you but I feel you will be triumphant."

"Let's hope so," said Ana as she glanced at him. "For both our people's sake… Do you think he will be strong enough?"

Odin nodded gravely. "Given time… and with your help." He looked back out at the horizon and smiled again. "This place is very beautiful…"

A soft smile touched her lips as she looked back toward the sea. "It is…"

The sound of a yell could be heard behind them and Ana glanced back to catch sight of Loki falling onto the grassy field, Thor standing off a ways as he looked around.

"They're here," said Ana as she dropped her arms and turned to face Odin's sons.

"Good," said Odin as he nodded and looked at Ana. He reached out to take her hand and she looked at him in surprise. "Thank you," he said with such warmth as he squeezed her hand. "Frigga had always held a soft spot for you… She had wanted to see your children but…" He sighed and let go of her hand before turning back to gaze out at the horizon.

Ana felt a pang of sadness at this; the former Asgardian queen had been a favorite of hers. She had been saddened when she heard of her unexpected death way back when…

Shaking her head, she left Odin's side and made her way toward his sons, seeing that they were making their way toward their father. She came to a stop and waited for them, the wind tousling her curls. Thor paused in front of Ana and looked at her expectantly while Loki lingered a few feet behind his brother. The god of mischief had recognized the Red Lady for who and what she was and was wise to be wary of her, considering their last encounter.

"Ana," said Thor as he looked at her before glancing at his father. "What news has my father told you?"

Ana glanced at Loki, narrowing her eyes slightly, before she looked at Thor. "There's not much time. Go to him." She took a step back as she gestured to the old Asgardian King. It was clear she was not going to say anything more.

A pang of uneasiness touched Thor's heart at Ana's words as he looked at her before he turned to make his way toward his father. Loki followed behind, his gaze focused on Ana as he passed her, his distrust and wariness ever clear in his eyes. The short woman only folded her arms as she watched him in turn, her stance tense and on guard.

"Father?" Thor called as he came to a stop beside Odin, his worry clear in his gaze as he reached out to place a gentle hand on the older man's shoulder.

"Look at this place," said Odin as he smiled. "It's beautiful…"

Thor felt his uneasiness grow as he leaned down, trying to get his father to look into his eyes. "Father, it's us," he said as he glanced at Loki, seeing his brother had come to a stop on Odin's other side.

"My sons," said Odin, his gaze remaining on the horizon in the distance. At those words, Loki had looked at Odin, the slight surprise quite clear on his face. "I've been waiting for you."

"I know," said Thor as he moved a little closer to his father. "We've come to take you home."

"Home, yes," said Odin as he nodded. "Your mother, she calls me." He tilted his head slightly, looking as if he were listening for something that only he could hear. "Do you hear it?"

Thor felt his uneasiness grow into worry as he looked at his brother. "Loki, lift your magic."

Loki stared at his brother as he shook his head while Odin gave a heartfelt chuckle. "Took me quite a while to break free from your spell," Odin said as he glanced at Loki. "Frigga would have been proud."

Once more, Loki felt the surprise and the sudden ache in his heart at those words from the man he had called his father once upon a time.

"Come and sit with me," said Odin as he turned around to make his way to his favorite boulder. "I don't have much time."

All three Asgardian men made their way toward the large, flat boulder that rested several feet behind them and they all sat down. Thor went to help his father, seeing that the older man did appear to be quite weak. "I know we failed you," Thor said as he carefully turned to face his father. "But we can make this right."

Odin shook his head. "I failed you," he said. "It is upon us… Ragnorok."

Thor shook his head as he leaned in toward his father. "No, I've stopped Ragnorok. I've put an end to Surtur."

"No," said Odin as he sighed heavily. "It has already begun… She's coming." He looked out toward the horizon. "My life was all that held her back… But my time has come. I cannot keep her away any longer."

Thor's confusion was evident as he looked at his brother before glancing back at Odin. "Father, who are you talking about?"

"Goddess of Death," said Odin as he straightened just a little in his posture. "Hela… My firstborn… Your sister." He gestured to his sons on either side of him.

"Your… what?" Thor said, the surprise and uneasiness growing as he stared at Odin.

"Her violent appetites grew beyond my control," Odin continued. "I couldn't stop her so… I imprisoned her. Locked her away." He tilted his head toward Thor but didn't quite meet his son's gaze. "She draws her strength from Asgard and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless…"

Thor shook his head, the unexpected news that he had an older sister still trying to find its way through his mind. "Whatever she is, we… we can stop her together. We can face her together."

"No, we won't," said Odin as he shook his head, looking more weary by the moment as he took in another breath. "I'm on a different path now… Which was why I requested the Red Lady to aid you." He turned his head slightly to gesture to the woman who had been standing silently off a ways while this was going on. They all glanced back at her, seeing that she was keeping her attention focused elsewhere, giving them some semblance of privacy. "She has been training in the ways of Midgardian magic. Her strength and new skills will enable you to succeed where I have failed." Odin turned his attention to Thor. "She does this only in the hopes of finding her husband… He is lost somewhere out there beyond the Nine Realms. Promise me you will help her in return."

Thor, feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him, looked at his father and nodded, unable to find the words to the bombshell that his father had dropped on them.

Odin, satisfied with this answer, heaved another sigh as his form began to relax. He looked back at the Norwegian Sea, his face growing wistful once more. "I love you my sons…"

Loki, who had been silent while all of this was being said, glanced at Odin, the look on his face filled with an aching surprise and sadness. Those were words he had never expected and had always wanted to hear… The only thing he had ever craved from the man he knew as his father.

"Look at that," said Odin as he pointed to the horizon at the distant storm clouds. They sat there for a few heartfelt moments, taking in the sights and the sounds. "Remember this place…" Odin said after that sweet and sad silence passed. "Home…" He closed his eyes and his form began to waver and disappear. Golden, glowing dust took the place of where the old Asgardian king had sat before it began to float off on the wind and rise toward the stormy skies…

-o-

Ana knew the moment Odin had passed when she sensed that something was beginning to break apart the seams of this plane. Her unease grew as she felt the first wave of a powerful force breaking through. Oh no, this was much stronger than Odin had even hinted at…

 _'Erin…'_ Her worry was clear.

Ana felt Erin's presence pressing against the clear wall between them and she mentally reached out toward her other self.

_'It'll be all right, Ana. I'm here… This is why we've been training. We have to do this to find our mate. We'll be all right.'_

With that reassurance, Ana's form began to change as she grew taller and lither, her eyes bearing a yellow glow. Her crimson veined hands sparked with fiery lights as she turned around to make her way toward the brothers. "We have incoming," she said as she conjured a fiery blade and shield.

The brothers, who had looked as if they were about to get into a fight, had paused when Ana had called their attention. Thor had glanced at her in surprise, sensing the power that was brimming within her as she quickly stopped in between the brothers in a not so subtle gesture of keeping them apart. Noticing that her attention was drawn elsewhere, they turned around to face the direction Ana was, dropping their glamour to reveal their true Asgardian attire.

In the distance, a sickening green light had pierced the air and a swirl of black smoke and matter emerged. The light spread apart to reveal a portal, more of the black smoke swirling and shifting as the opening grew. A figure began to emerge from the portal and she slowly stepped through the black matter as it clung around her legs. She was tall and lean; a skin tight black suit adorned her though various rips revealed the pale flesh beneath. Her hair hung in long greasy locks about her face as she moved across the grass. She would have been considered beautiful if not for the dark shadows that lingered about her eyes, giving her a ghoulish appearance. She came to a stop as she saw the gathering that awaited her. Her eyes shifted between them before they focused on Thor.

"So, he's gone." Her stance was relaxed as she straightened. "That's a shame. I would've liked to have seen that."

Only someone with a morbid sense of humor would have found that funny…

No one laughed.

"You must be Hela," said Thor, his grip on his hammer tightening. "I'm Thor, son of Odin."

"Really?" said Hela, a slight sneer appearing on her lips. "You don't look like him."

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement," interjected Loki as he regarded the woman who was their sister with caution.

"You sound like him," she said, a slight frown of disgust twitching on her face as she raised a hand to point at Loki. Her gaze dismissed the god of mischief and settled on the only other woman in the group. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with recognition as she took in the sight of Ana.

"A Lyttan," she said, her tone of voice taking on something that was akin to a pleasant tone. "I never thought I'd see the day… I'd thought you all had gone the way of the All Fathers." She smiled at this as she took a step forward. "You all were the most vicious of my army… So deliciously savage…" She paused when she noticed the defensive stance Ana had taken. "Ah, I see Odin has worked his ways again… Tell me Lyttan, what did the old fool promise you in return for your loyalty?"

Ana didn't respond as she raised her shield, her gaze focused on Hela's every movement.

"Your people always did have trouble speaking in that form," said Hela as she shook her head in what seemed like amusement. "Such a shame… A waste if there ever was… No matter," she said as she focused her gaze on all three of them. "Kneel."

"Beg your pardon?" said Loki, focusing his attention from the Lyttan beside him and toward Hela.

"Kneel," said Hela as her smile grew. "Before your queen."

Thor raised his hammer as he took a step forward. "I don't think so."

"No! Don't!" Ana cried out but it was too late and Thor had hurled Mjolnir at Hela.

The supposed goddess of death had reached out and caught the hammer without a single change in her smug demeanor. She was pushing against the force of the hammer, the hammer starting to vibrate against the grip that held it.

"It's not possible," said Thor as he took another step forward, trying to call his hammer back to him.

"Darling, you have no idea what's possible," said Hela before she squeezed the hammer. It started to crack beneath her grip, a squealing high pitch sound emerging from the metal before it exploded it a fantastic array of lightening. The pieces of the hammer fell down to the grass, a broken mess…

The shock that had pierced through the heart of Thor had caused him to hesitate, looking down at the pieces of what had been his greatest weapon. Hela didn't hesitate as she ran her hands over her black hair, a helmet of sharp black spikes emerging. She then swung her left hand to the side, a black blade sliding into place. She had begun to walk forward toward them…

"Bring us back!" Loki cried to the sky above, his cowardice shining through.

"No!" Thor yelled before he turned his attention to Hela, intent on preventing her from being caught in the bi-frost's pull.

All of this happened within the span of a few moments and the rainbow light of the bi-frost beamed down around them and they were all pulled up toward the sky at an erratic pace. Thor glanced up at the streaming light that surrounded them before he glanced down, seeing Loki and Ana were close behind him. Looking past Ana's lithe form, he could see the dark silhouette of Hela coming up fast behind them.

"Ana!" Thor yelled at her, hoping that she had some new skills up her sleeve that would help.

Ana glanced down behind them, a slight snarl on her lips, before she let loose the fiery blade she had been holding. She conjured several more blades and hurled them one after another down at the goddess of death. Hela had drawn her own blade and had knocked all but one aside, which had managed to pierce her deep in the shoulder. The goddess let out a hiss, having been caught by surprise by the Lyttan's attack.

Loki, seeing an opening, had pulled one of his long daggers and hurled it down at Hela. The woman had been expecting such a thing and had raised her black blade to catch the dagger, swing it around and hurl it back at its owner. Loki, not hesitating, had reached toward the Lyttan beside him and pulled her in front of him, much to her surprise and sudden anger. The long dagger had found its mark and it sunk deep into Ana's back.

She let out a cry in pain and her anger erupted as she roared at the god of mischief. She pulled her knee up and violently hit him in the groin, the force of the blow throwing them off balance. Loki let out a gasp as he doubled over, the both of them swinging wildly around in the pull of the bi-frost before they fell through the rainbow light and out into the blackness…

-o-

The sudden jolt of a landing and the pain in her back had caused her to snarl in her rage.

She had crashed into what looked like a pile of debris and garbage. As she struggled to her feet, she reached behind her to try to get the dagger out but it was stuck smack in the middle of her back. She could sense that Ana was unconscious from the fall from the bi-frost and being hurled through space only to then be caught by a wild portal. She had kept away from the clear wall between them, intent on letting her other self regain her mental strength. The first ride through a wild portal was always the hardest. It was only because Erin had gone through it before that she had remained conscious. She had taken full control of their shared body and was taking the moment to take in their surroundings.

There were several piles of junk, garbage and debris that could be seen as well as even more of it in the distance. In the sky multiple wild portals could be seen, all dumping various junk from wherever they had sucked it from. Erin could see that her presence had been detected and there were several junk ships that were making their way toward her location.

She snarled as she watched the first of the ships land not too far from her. Its large doors opened and a pile of the residents were making their way down the gangway. They were all dressed in rags, had various homemade weapons, and smelled horrible. The apparent leader of their group had stopped about twenty feet from where Erin stood and slammed his weapon into his palm. "Are you a fighter? Or are you food?"

Erin didn't give them a chance to hear the answer as she growled at the apparent threat. She gathered her thermal energy and clenched her fists; several balls of magical fire were conjured and hovered around her before she let them loose. They were hurled forward at the group and toward the other ships that were making their way toward their location. The sound of their screams and the sight of the massive explosions of their ships from the contact of the fireballs echoed around them for miles around.

By the time the fire and explosions had died down, Erin was surrounded by nothing more than charred bodies…

A sudden piercing pain hit her in the back and she stumbled forward from the strike.

She turned around and caught sight of a familiar smiling face.

"Hello again Red Lady," said Loki as he took a step forward, one of his long daggers in his hand. "How fortuitous that I would find you here."

Erin reached behind her and managed to pull out the second dagger that had been imbedded in her back. Her healing factor was working but not fast enough with Ana being down for the count. She really needed her other self awake right now…

She snarled as she felt a wave of dizziness sweep over her senses. She looked at Loki, the confusion evident on her face, before she looked at the dagger he had struck her with. It was covered in her blood with a mix of something else…

She stumbled and fell to her knees, suddenly feeling very weak.

Loki had come to a stop beside her as he pocketed his dagger and reached out to stick something against the side of her neck. "You're my ticket to gaining favor with the leader of this place. It's nothing personal… Just business."

Erin could feel her worry as the thing in the side of her neck tightened just as the blackness overcame her. Her last thought was worry for her other self and a prayer that they would get out of this mess…

Somehow…


	113. Groggy Awareness

****

_One day you will be tried_

_On the execution line_

_He'll strap you in and you will fry_

_Like fireworks in the fourth of July…_

**Executioner** – Nicole Dollanganger

-o-

Chapter 113: Groggy Awareness

Groggy awareness streaked through her clouded senses as a voice spoke from somewhere around her. It sounded like a female but it was muffled and indistinct.

As her senses began to clear, some of the words that the female was speaking began to register:

"…Prepare yourself. You are now meeting the Grandmaster."

There seemed to be a series of colorful bright lights shining beyond her close lids but she dared not open them. The piercing headache she had was a good reason to keep her eyes closed in case anything should aggravate it further. A moment later, the bright lights stopped and there was silence…

_Ana?_

There was no response from her other self, even as she tentatively pressed against the clear wall between them. Erin could sense her human was still unconscious, be it from the wild portal or from whatever Loki had poisoned them with. The silence continued until she heard a voice from somewhere in front of her.

"Is it dead?"

"No Grandmaster," said a familiar and grating voice. "She is more than likely still healing from the poison in her system."

"Ah… so it's a she? Very nice… I want to see this one awake," the other voice said and there was a moment's pause before a piercing pain erupted from the side of her neck. Electrical pulses were tearing through her system, twanging the end of her nerves, and a muffled growl escaped her lips. Her eyes snapped open as her rage erupted in a wave of heat, her crimson veins glowing with thermal energy. Erin had not been aware of the series of guards that stood behind her nor of the people who had been standing too close to her. One by one, they all screamed in shocked pain as they self combusted. Their screams died down as they all fell to the floor, nothing more than charred husks.

The pain in her neck stopped and Erin took in a breath, the sudden release of the pain helping to calm her. She took in several heaving breaths as she looked around, seeing that there were more charred bodies near her. Two more were at the foot of what looked like a throne area, these ones female in appearance. There were other people in the large expansive room that had not been close to Erin and were now cowering in fear, trying to put as much distance between them. Guilt pierced her at the lives she had unexpectedly taken. She had not meant to lose control like that…

While she was trying to comprehend where she was and what the hell was going on, she found that she was in a hovering chair; her hands and feet were bound to the chair and a metal mask had been clasped around her face to keep her from speaking. Straight ahead of her, sitting on a hovering throne, was a strange looking humanoid being. He could have passed for human if not for the eccentric way he held himself. He was dressed in what appeared to be golden robes with red and blue trimming, sandals on his feet, and dark grey hair that was swept back and up. A single blue line went from his lower lip down the middle of his chin, whether it was make up or a part of his skin, one couldn't say. Standing on either side of him were two people: A serious looking female in armor with dark hair pulled back into a severe bun and a white square symbol painted on her forehead and none other than the god of mischief himself, Loki.

When their gazes had met, he had given her a smug smirk, no doubt counting this situation as some kind of win.

The man on the throne, the Grandmaster, had sat up in his chair as a look of keen interest appeared on his face. He was staring at Erin rather hungrily, the mad glint in his eye setting off all kinds of alarm bells for her. "What did you say she was again?"

"A Lyttan, Grandmaster," said Loki in reply. "They are a hybrid race thought long dead. Strong and powerful savages that can change their form to something akin to a fire demon. You don't want to stand too close, as you can see… This one is called the Red Lady. She is quite a unique specimen."

"Magnificent. I adore the name," the man said as he clasped his hands. "A Lyttan… This one…" He pointed to her before he looked up at the female beside him. "This one is special Topaz. I can feel it… There's something about her that reminds me of my beloved Champion."

"A contender for him?" asked Topaz as she glanced down at her master.

"No, no, no, no," said the Grandmaster with a fierce shake of his head. "I have a much better role in mind for this one." He steepled his fingers and rested his chin against them. "She'll need to be collared… Can't risk her killing off everyone I don't intend for her to…"

Topaz's gaze went to Erin, a little sneer appearing on her lips. "What role did you have in mind?"

The Grandmaster gave a thoughtful nod. "My executioner, of course. We can open up the battles with her… Just imagine…" He kept his gaze on her as he turned his head slightly toward Loki. "I like this one you brought me. Very, very much. How much do you want?"

Erin let out a muffled series of curses as she glared at Loki, struggling against her restrains. Loki smirked as he tilted his head up just a bit. "No price Grandmaster. I had hoped I could obtain lodging to recover from my ordeals…"

"Consider staying as my guest," said the Grandmaster as he turned to look at Erin. "I would love for you to see what we can do with this one." He turned his attention to Topaz. "I normally don't like to collar but… I really, really want this one... See to it you take her down for processing and…" He held out some kind of sensor to the female, a rectangular golden device that sort of looked like a handheld metal detector. "Mind your distance."

"Yes Grandmaster," said Topaz as she took the electronic device and motioned to Erin's chair. She was turned around and was led out of the throne room, her anger and hatred of the Frost Giant ever clear.

When she got out of this, she was going to beat him within an inch of his life…

Yet, the fear was genuine…

Whatever it meant to be collared, it sounded as if it would take away her free will in more ways than just a shackle around her neck. Dammit, she really needed Ana right now…

She was taken down a series of corridors, down a long elevator ride, down more corridors and then down another elevator. The female named Topaz did not speak to her and Erin was grateful for that reprieve. The moment they reached their destination the fear Erin had been feeling escalated as she saw what it was to be collared. There was an insane looking old man, senile would be best to describe him, and he was waiting for them as she was moved into the room. He was holding up a metal helmet of some kind, one that completely covered the head, eyes and ears. He also had a collar with a series of electrodes on the back of the thing where it would connect with the spine and the base of the brain.

"It's been a long time since the Master asked for one to be collared," said the senile old man as he cackled. "I've been keeping this one polished and primed just in case."

Her muffled curses and cries of anger were loud as she struggled to get out of her restraints but was quickly hit with that electrical pulse while she was moved into a separate room. She didn't want to kill anyone else, she didn't want to lose control, but these people were smart and keeping their distance. Out of her peripheral she could see several robots making their way toward her, two of them holding the devices. She didn't want to take lives but she had no qualms with destroying robots…

She had destroyed thirty of them, even with the electrical pulses paralyzing her, and it looked like she was going to succeed, for just a moment… A sudden pull in the link to her mate caught her off guard and she could feel that he was near. Very near. In all of her rage and fear, it had not registered just how close he was and, in that moment, she had paused in her fighting. It was the opening they had been waiting for and the robots had pounced on her, equipping first the collar and then the helmet. The moment they were powered on, Erin's self-awareness disappeared in a haze of quiet and calm obedience and the link to her mate had been blocked…

Why was she fighting again? She was unwanted and unloved… The Grandmaster loved her…

Here, on Sakaar, she had a home…

She was… home…

-o-

_A week later…_

Korg was more than a little surprised when he noticed that there seemed to be a gathering at the coliseum today.

The surprisingly friendly and amiable rock being known as a Kronan was the defacto leader of the imprisoned fighters and he knew just about everyone in the place. He also knew when scheduled fights were to happen, seeing as he did the warming up of the crowd for most of them. There was no fight for the Grandmaster's Champion to win today so something different was happening…

It was something that the Grandmaster wanted everyone, including his imprisoned fighters to witness, because one of the doorways to their circle prison had opened, leading the way to the arena. Anything different and new that happened in this place was welcome to stave off the boredom of doing nothing but waiting to die. It wasn't long before Korg and the other prisoners were in the designated viewing area of the arena. The gathering crowds that were piled high up to the nosebleed seats were cheering in excitement for whatever this spectacle was.

When it appeared to be the start of the event, the Grandmaster appeared in his favorite way: Via a static riddled hologram that towered above everyone. "Look at you all," he said as he rubbed his hands together, a manic smile on his face. "Have I got a special treat for you tonight! A new little event that I think would be a fun addition to my Contest of Champions. But, I needed to see how you lovely people would take to it so consider this a little taste of what's to come. Now, this beautiful creature fell on to my lap very recently and she is unlike anything I had ever seen. She's quite the passionate little fireball…"

It was at that moment that the floor to the arena began to descend as it usually did when contenders were going to fight in the main event. Yet, it did not stop as it usually did but continued to descend until it became more of an inescapable pit. Korg had to bend his head close to the bars of the window to see what was going on. At the bottom, the floor to the arena gave way in certain parts and it looked like several pitfalls to wherever happened to lie beneath the coliseum. Emerging from a small doorway that had opened beside one of the platforms, a group of various beings in chains were being pushed out. Some were cursing the Grandmaster, others were shivering in fear, and all of them looked like people at a dead end. They were what the Grandmaster considered criminals: thieves, rioters, all the like that ruined the smooth running of his world and ones that he could do without. Soon, Korg knew exactly what this was going to be and he swallowed back the bile that was threatening to rise.

"I give you my Executioner!" said the Grandmaster with a flamboyant wave of his hands before his hologram disappeared.

A scream of pure, unadulterated rage echoed from one of the pitfalls on the other end of the coliseum and something tall and monstrous could be seen climbing out from it. A wave of lava from the pits below followed after the creature as it dug its red claws into the ground, heavy chains bound to its wrists and ankles, as it pulled itself up to stand on one of the platforms. Waves of heat were pouring from the arena and if it were not for a barrier that had been erected above the pit itself, everyone would have felt it for sure. It looked to be a female of some kind with crimson veins that glowed with thermal energy but Korg could not make out her face. The female had on a metal helmet that kept her blind and deaf to everything else but what was programmed into it. A thick metal collar around her neck – that was also attached to a heavy chain – revealed what Korg feared. The poor creature was under the direct control of the Grandmaster…

She turned on her feet, the heavy chains that bound her were glowing red from the heat that she emitted and surrounded her but surprisingly did not melt. She was dressed only in a chainmail that also glowed bright red from the heat, the only semblance of modesty the Grandmaster had allowed her. When she caught sight of the prisoners on the other end of the coliseum, whatever had been programmed into her helmet had kicked in. She had seen her targets and her rage was all encompassing as she roared, the lava rising from the pits below them…

The prisoners didn't have a chance to scream let alone fight back in some way as they were consumed by the fiery lake that the creature had conjured. By the end of it, the lava had cleared away all signs of them and all that was left standing was the female, now a little more docile since the apparent threats were gone.

The cheering from the crowd sounded almost as brainwashed as the creature herself. The people no doubt having been entertained by the fire and lava the creature had summoned, never mind the fact that she could have easily killed all of them…

"I think we have a new crowd favorite," came the Grandmaster's voice. "Just breathtaking, isn't she? I think we'll have a new execution scheduled soon enough."

The cheers and applauding were nearly deafening but all Korg could see was the creature as she seemed to wander around the platform she was on, looking angry, lost and confused.

"Poor thing," said Korg, his sadness growing for the creature. "Of all the bad luck…"

The other fighters weren't thinking along those lines.

Their own fear was quite palpable.

This creature was powerful, maybe even more so than the Champion… Now they had to worry about dying in more ways than by the Champion's hands…


	114. Rage, Sadness, and Guilt

_All my life_

_I've been running from the light_

_Only darkness till you came around_

_Now I've been found…_

**Found** – Dan Davidson

-o-

Chapter 114: Rage, Sadness, and Guilt

Rage, sadness, and guilt were the emotions that bombarded him more and more these days. The only reprieve he ever had were the moments spent fighting and training. In those moments, he could allow the rage to consume him and allow it to block out all else.

Yet, once the battles had subsided, the other emotions were always there waiting for him.

He could usually deal with it. Push far and to the back of his mind as he trained and fought. Yet, it started getting worse when that trick happened, when for a split second he had felt his mate's aching love and longing through their link…

It hadn't happened again after that so he knew it had to have been a trick of his mind: A desperate attempt to feel something from the link to his fiery one, to ease the guilt and the shame of what he had done to her. When the pull to her had faded back to the blank nothing it had always been, his anger and rage had been all consuming. He had destroyed his apartments in the Grandmaster's tall tower and had to be moved to a different floor. The Grandmaster had been concerned for his beloved champion and had sent for his founder and trainer, the one he called Angry Girl. She came to his new apartments – a red and white affair that was already a cluttered mess- and went over to his bar to raid the liquor bottles there. He never touched the stuff so he didn't mind when she helped herself. He liked her. She was strong and a great fighter. She had olive skin, her long straight dark hair in a tangled top knot and ponytail, and white painted stripes above and below her dark eyes. She was like him – filled with so much hurt, guilt, and anger and wanting nothing more than to drown it all. She understood him. In another life, he would have found her to be quite the attractive package.

At the moment though, he didn't want anything to do with her. He just wanted to be alone.

He was sitting on his large bed, staring despondently out the window to the incredible view of this cluttered and nasty city the Grandmaster called home.

"Hey Big Guy," said Angry Girl, a careful smile on her lips as she made her way to stand beside him. "The boss sent me over to see what's wrong…" She pulled off the stopper to the large bottle of liquor and proceeded to take a big swig. She leaned back against the foot of the bed as she turned to stare out the large window with him. "Wanna talk about it?"

He didn't say anything in response as he clenched his large fists.

She tilted her head as she looked up at him before she glanced down at his left hand, noting the Asgardian wedding band. It was what had first caught her attention about him. He never spoke full sentences and when she had found him inside that strange ship he had been an emotional raging mess. She knew that from that golden band alone he had had a spouse, maybe even a family, and something bad had happened to them. She never asked him the details but it was one of the rare moments in her life when she felt an inkling of empathy toward another being. When she had taken him to the Grandmaster – and he had proven his strength over and over in just how utterly savage he could be – she knew he was suffering just as much as she was.

She kept an eye out for him over the months since he had first appeared; making sure that he was all right. He seemed to fall into the way this place worked with as much ease as a fish to water. Yet, today something had happened that had brought out his rage outside of the arena.

She glanced up at him as she took another swig before sighing heavily. She leapt up onto the bed and reached out to pat his large knee. "I get it Big Guy… I'm here if you need to vent."

They sat that way in silence for some time, watching the traffic of the flying vehicles and ships passing in the distance, before she heard his deep, rumbling voice.

"Mate…"

When she looked up in question, she saw that he was glancing down at his left hand, his thumb gently rubbing the golden band.

"Felt her… My fiery one…" He clenched his fist in anger as he closed his eyes. "But trick… Hulk hurt her… She's gone…" His hand trembled as he shook his head. "Miss her. Miss twins…"

Angry Girl let out a soft "Oh" in response as she took another swig from the bottle. The silence stretched on between them before she let out a soft sigh. "What were their names?"

Hulk turned his head to look at Angry Girl, his deep green eyes filled with loss and longing. "Ana… Cin… Hulk's wife. Luc… Beccie… Hulk's kids. Hulk's family…" He looked away as he hung his head, the guilt and shame clear. "Hurt Ana… Didn't mean to. Left them… Safer with Hulk gone."

She could feel her throat grow tight as she looked at the bottle in her hand, hearing the names of his wife and children making the situation a little too real for her. Yet, this was the first time he had ever spoken fully to her about his past. He trusted her. She swallowed against the tightness as she heaved a soft sigh and felt herself opening up just a little. "I lost everyone in a senseless battle… My sisters but also my lover… Her name was Freydis…She sacrificed herself to save my miserable hide." She took the bottle to her lips as she emptied it of its contents before throwing the bottle against the far wall. They watched as it shattered into tiny pieces. "The pain doesn't go away… but we can numb it." She looked up at him and gave a bitter smile. "How about we train Big Guy? Put that rage into good use."

Hulk grunted in response as he looked at his wedding band, staring at it a long moment, before he gave a nod.

-o-

It would be months before he felt it again – the pull in his link to her and the rage and fear that pulsed from her end catching him off guard during one of his training sessions with Angry Girl.

This time it didn't go away.

It wasn't a trick of his mind.

Cin was near.

Very, very near.

She was here somewhere.

_Ana…_

Banner's brief thought had managed to break through the wall and the Hulk pushed him back, more out of impulse than any real need to keep him away. He had his mate to get to and he didn't need Banner distracting him or trying to take control back.

Abandoning his training with Angry Girl, the Hulk had made a desperate and bold attempt to escape the arena and get to his mate. The rage and fear he felt coming from her end of the link spurred him on and he was smashing through the legion of guards that had been sent to keep the champion in the arena. It had finally taken Angry Girl to do what she rarely liked and cast one of her electric discs at his neck. It found its mark and she let loose a pulsing electrical attack that had caught him off guard and even set him on his ass from the sheer surprise of it.

By the time Hulk had recovered, his link to his mate once again had gone silent.

Yet, it had done its job.

The Hulk knew his mate was alive and here somewhere in the Grandmaster's home.

Something had happened that had brought her here and something had happened to her that had once more blocked her link with him.

The Hulk didn't like the little trick that Angry Girl had done but now that his link was silent once more he couldn't feel the pull to Cin. With training cut short, he had been escorted back to his apartments with Angry Girl close behind. He was placed on lock down until the Grandmaster scheduled the next contest. He didn't one to lose his beloved champion.

Angry Girl had removed the little disc with an apology but her voice was stern as she looked up at him. "Big Guy, you can't just go running off on your own and killing people as you go. You may be the champion but you're still a prisoner of the Grandmaster's."

"Hulk's mate," he grunted as he started pacing, kicking aside a large metal shield. It clanged across the room and the flat end slammed against the wall, leaving a nice indentation. "Felt her."

"What?" she asked as she paused, having about to make her way over to the bar. She turned around to face him. "Your wife? You felt her? What do you mean?"

Hulk paused in his pacing and reached up to rub the spot above his heart. "Pull to mate," he said before he reached up to place a large hand against his shorn, dark hair. "Feel her rage… Cin here."

"You feel a pull to her?" Angry Girl frowned in confusion as the Hulk nodded. "You feel her rage…?" That sounded vaguely familiar to her… She had heard of that before but she couldn't remember for the life of her from where. Mulling over this, she moved over to Hulk and folded her arms across her chest. "Can you feel her now?"

Hulk shook his head. "Quiet again. Not trick. Hulk feels her here."

She nodded as she tilted her head. "I believe you Big Guy. Where did you feel the pull?"

Hulk gestured down to the floor of his room. "Down far. She's here but down."

Angry Girl's lips thinned as she took in this info. If his mate was here and he felt her location as downstairs, that could only mean she was in processing. That wouldn't be a good sign.

"Let me do some digging around Big Guy," she said as she glanced up at him. "If your wife is here, I'll find her for you."

"Thank you, Angry Girl," said Hulk as, for the first time since she had ever known him, he smiled down at her.

Caught off guard by the smile, and surprised at how attractive it made him, Angry Girl only gave a nod and quickly left the champion's rooms.

-o-

Regardless of how tightly the Grandmaster thought he ran his world, there was always ways around the constant surveillance and army of guards that patrolled his home and streets. There's nothing a good deal of units, some liquor, even some drugs, couldn't get you. Angry Girl had a good number of contacts around the Grandmaster's home. One of her favorites was an old, senile man down in processing who she called Grandpa. There was a chance she was a good deal older than the man with the thick glasses but she was one of the few people he had grown a soft spot for. If there was anyone who would know where the Hulk's wife would be, it would be him.

"Hey Grandpa!" she called out as she made her way into his work area, having snagged a six pack of alcohol from the bar on her way in.

"Huh? Oh, it's you," said Grandpa as he peered at her through his spectacles before giving her a large grin. "How are you, Scrapper 142?"

"Not drunk enough yet," she said in response as she snapped off one of the cans and opened it with a flick of her thumb.

"You'll get there soon enough," he said with a chuckle as he turned around at his table, working on some gadget of his. "Welp, you came down here for a reason. What can I do for you?"

"Any new blood today?" she asked as she made her way over to a chair that was by his work station, sitting down on it and swinging a leg over the arm. "Heard some rumors the boss got a new favorite."

"Now, you know no one will take the place of Master's beloved champion, 142," he said as he looked at her, his beady eyes studying her as he chuckled. "Meaning you're still in his favor." He swung his head back around to look at his work. "But, you aren't wrong in what you hear. A newcomer brought in some rare creature, beautiful that one. Female I think. Something called a Lycan or Lotto or something. Master became enthralled. Requested her to be collared."

Angry Girl's form tensed for just a split second before she relaxed back into the chair. "Collared, huh?" she asked nonchalantly though inside she was seething. It had been a long, long time since the boss had anyone be collared. It was why she even did work for the bastard because though he kept his fighters as prisoners he at least let them have their sense of self. Those that were collared were nothing more than mindless slaves at his beck and call.

"Oh yes," said Grandpa as he nodded. "She is powerful. Can make you burst in fire without so much as blinking an eye if you stand too close."

"Hm," she said as she drained the can and tossed it aside. "Is she down here? I wanna take a look at the newest contender.

"Oh no," he said as he turned to her. "This one won't be fighting your champion 142. This one is going to be his executioner." He moved away from his table and shuffled along, beckoning her to follow. "But you wanna take a look? C'mon, I'll show you."

She got to her feet as she snapped off another can to drink. She followed the old man down a long corridor and down a flight of steps before they stopped in front of a glass panel. Grandpa pointed in the window and she looked in, her can pausing half way toward her lips.

Standing in a corner of the room beyond the window, was a very tall and lithe woman with crimson veins that glowed with subdued heat. Her wrists and ankles were bound in heavy shackles and chains, her red clawed hands and feet still looking dangerous despite being bound. She was docile, doing nothing more than staring at the floor as she swayed slightly on her feet. The familiar helmet and collar were already on her head and around her neck so Angry Girl could not see her face. Yet, the Angry Girl knew at once what this creature was.

A Lyttan.

It would explain why the Hulk had a pull to her. They were the only race allied with the Asgardians that had such a special mental connection with their mates and families. She didn't even know they were still surviving members.

But, this Lyttan was already lost.

She was under the Grandmaster's direct control.

There would be no freeing her from her prison – both mental and physical.

Draining the can, she thanked Grandpa for showing her the newest favorite of the boss' before she turned and left.

When she had next seen the Hulk, and he had asked where his mate was, she told him she had found no trace of his mate. He probably was imagining things… It was best to try to forget, like she did.

Her answer had not been what he had hoped for and she left him in his rage as he destroyed his room, the barrier to his apartments closing after her as she went to drown herself in more alcohol.

There was no hope…

For any of them.


	115. Some Creepy Old Man

_In the madness of this world_

_I'm glad I found you_

_When my heart don't seem to work_

_It's you I turn to…_

**Found** – Ella Mai

-o-

Chapter 115: Some Creepy Old Man

Some creepy old man cut all of his hair off.

Of the many, terrible things that happened over the past seemingly two days – losing his father, losing his hammer, losing his teammate, landing in this garbage world, being taken prisoner by a former Valkyrie to be sold to some lunatic on high and then getting imprisoned in this smelly circle of hell – losing his hair seemed to be the final blow.

He was beyond angry about his situation.

It didn't help that he had found his brother alive and well here in this place, schmoozing with the upper crust of disgust that belonged to the Grandmaster's entourage. When Loki had told him the bi-frost had dropped him off here weeks ago, this caught him by surprise. They had been fighting off their sister at the same moment in time but he had just arrived to this disgusting world. It seemed time worked differently here on Sakaar. When he had asked if Loki had seen any sign of the Red Lady, his brother had taken on a look of indifference as he stated he hadn't seen hide or hair of the hybrid.

Thor knew his brother didn't bear any warm feelings toward the Red Lady but the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach set him on edge. He had the distinct feeling – knowing his brother as well as he did – that he had seen the Red Lady and something had happened to her. Something Loki wasn't going to be up front about and something Thor wouldn't know the answer to until it was too late.

When Thor had been taken to that freaky circle – as his new buddy Korg had described it – he couldn't do much else until it was time for the scheduled main event of the fight against the Grandmaster's champion. He was able to find a tiny little tin and a little scrap of material he could make a wick from and managed a tiny candle in an effort to do some kind of funeral service for his father. It was all he could do…

His brother had appeared in his usual way – via an illusion – and he advised of his plans to in time overthrow the Grandmaster, offering to aid Thor in the process. Thor didn't respond to his brother's offer, he didn't respond to him at all save for throwing pieces of Korg's fallen rocks at him, which when through his form to bounce off the wall behind him. It had gotten to the point that Loki had grown impatient with his brother's silence, telling him to say something.

"What would you have me say?" he had said to his brother, staring at him from his spot seated up against the wall of the prison. "You faked your own death, you stole the throne, stripped Odin of his power, stranded him on Earth to _die,_ releasing the Goddess of Death. Have I said enough or would you like me to go back further than the past _two days_?"

Loki had stared at his brother in turn, a muscle ticked in his jaw. "You know," he finally said. "I haven't seen this beloved champion he talks of but I've heard he is astonishingly savage. If he's anything like the Grandmaster's adored executioner, you've got quite a fight on your hands. I've placed a large wager against you tomorrow… Don't let me down."

Thor had located a glass bottle that had been resting beside him and he threw it at Loki, just as his illusion had faded from view. It smashed against the wall and shattered…

"Piss off, ghost!" Korg had said and had run to kick at the spot on the wall that Loki disappeared through. "He's freaking gone…"

-o-

Thor was standing beside Korg in a viewing area for the imprisoned fighters of the arena; the barred window was right at the level of the pit itself so they had a great view. It was the night of the Contest of Champions and Thor was scheduled to fight against the Grandmaster's champion once the undercard fights had gone underway. Yet, there was something else scheduled to start off the events, something Thor had not been aware of until tonight when he had asked Korg what was going on.

"Oh, it's a public execution," said Korg as he glanced at the Asgardian beside him. "The Grandmaster started opening the contest with it weeks ago."

"That's terrible," said Thor, a look of disgust flicking across his features.

"That's not the worst part," said Korg as the cheering from the crowd in the stands started to escalate. "The Grandmaster's executioner is collared."

"Collared?"

"No free will," said Korg in reply. "Has no idea who she is, where she is, let alone of the people she's killed. I feel bad for the poor thing. We're prisoners but at least we have our sentience."

Thor frowned at this as he looked out to the pit, noting that it was beginning to descend and a barrier had erected above the opening, protecting the crowd from any fall out that may happen. Once the pit had finished descending, a small doorway had opened off to one side and a line of people in chains were pushed out into the pit with force. One of the beings Thor recognized as the Grandmaster's cousin named Carlo, he had seen the being that very morning chained to his own chair when Thor had met the eccentric bastard. The Grandmaster had pardoned his cousin from "life" and had him taken away to who knew where.

Now, Thor knew.

The Grandmaster's cousin was pleading and begging to the Grandmaster to forgive him even as a part of the floor of the pit began to descend into a dark abyss. The other prisoners were trying in vain to escape from their shackles as the crowd began to chant the executioner's name. Thor had a hard time understanding what the crowd was saying but after a moment he was able to make out the name they were chanting:

_Red Lady… Red Lady…_

The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach had grown as he gave a slight shake of his head, hoping against all hope that it wasn't what he was hearing…

A familiar, inhuman, scream of rage had erupted from the dark abyss beneath the floor of the pit as something tall and lithe with glowing crimson veins pulled itself up from the hole. It was hampered down by thick chains and shackles and, though Thor could not see her face because of a metal helmet that covered the top half of it, he knew it was her.

"No," he said, his horror at seeing his ally in such a way. "Lady Ana!" he yelled as he banged on the bars of the window.

She could not hear him.

She could not hear or see anything beyond her helmet. She was a primal, raging creature as she had not been in a long time. The moment she caught sight of the chained prisoners, her intended targets, she let out a roar and ran toward them, dragging the heavy chains along with her. Her feet dug into the floor of the pit and she conjured several blades of deep red flame. They hovered around her before she let them loose at the prisoners, who were trying to escape the wrath of the creature. Some had found their mark and some had missed. The ones that missed imbedded into the wall of the pit before fading from view. The remaining prisoners, including Carlo, were quickly ripped and torn apart by the raging woman's hands.

By the end of it, the pit was a bloody mess of body parts and charred husks. The Red Lady was now docile as she stood in the middle of the massacre, looking as if she was waiting for further orders. She did not acknowledge the cheering crowd around her as the pit began to descend and a new floor emerged from the wall to the side to slide over her and the carnage, covering it from sight. They were now preparing for the undercard fights.

"Isn't she beautiful folks?" said the Grandmaster's voice as his form emerged via a towering hologram. "The Red Lady sure knows how to start a show off right. Big round of applause for my fiery executioner! Her rage knows no limits. OK! Let's get this ready…"

Thor tuned out the bastard's voice as he slammed another fist against the barred window.

"Hey, hey!" said Korg as he turned to face the Asgardian. "What's wrong?"

"The executioner is my friend," said Thor as he grit his teeth, his anger clear. "I had sworn to my father that I would protect her and now this happens to her… She must have gotten here at the same time as Loki." He clenched his fists as he shook his head, his thoughts immediately going to his brother. If he found out that Loki had anything to do with the Red Lady's imprisonment…

"Wait," said Korg as he held out a large, rocky hand. "You're saying you know the Red Lady? As in, she's not just a raging monster hell bent on destroying everything in sight? I mean, I had a hunch but…"

"No, she's not a monster. Far from it. She's a wife and mother," said Thor as he pushed off the barred window and kicked the wall in his anger. "A truly honorable warrior and to see her like this…" He shook his head again as he turned away from the window. "I will get her out of this…"

"Well, good luck with that. If you're still interested in the revolution, let me know," said Korg as he turned and started to walk off. "I have to get ready. The Red Lady warms up the crowd but people still want to see the fights…"

Thor watched his new friend as he and his insect friend went off to get ready for the undercard fights. He turned his attention back to the window, studying the floor to the pit as it ascended back to its original depth. He wondered if she was kept under here during the fights… That floor might be thin enough to break through. He would need to figure out a way to get to her but first he had to beat this champion…

-o-

The crowd was cheering up a storm as the last of the undercard fighters' bodies were cleaned out of the pit and a new floor emerged in preparation of the main event.

Thor was in the entryway that led to the pit, preparing his choice of weapons as the Grandmaster's voice echoed about the arena.

"Wow! Look at all of you! What a show! What a night! Who's having fun? Please, I'm your host."

Thor let out a snort in disgust. The man was so full of himself…

"Big round of applause for all of our undercard competitors, who died today so gruesomely. Good sports... This is what you've come for and so have I. And now, without further ado, it's main event time."

The doors to the entryway began to slowly open in separate sections and Thor took in a breath, getting prepared mentally for the fight to come.

"Making his first appearance though he looks quite promising. Got a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I'll say no more, see what you think."

He stepped out into the bright lights of the arena, the sound of the booing crowd greeting him.

"Ladies and gentleman, I give you… Lord of Thunder. Watch out for his fingers, they make sparks. OK, this is it…"

Thor glanced up to see the towering hologram of the Grandmaster; it flickered in and out in static as the man rubbed his hands. "Let's get ready to welcome this guy. Here he comes. He is a creature. What can we say about him? Well, he's unique. There's none like him. I feel a special connection with him. He's undefeated. He's the reigning. He's the defending…"

Taking in another breath, Thor set the club he had been carrying down on the floor and reached for the collapsible helmet he had gotten. With a flick of the wrist, it opened up and he slid it over his short hair before sliding down the face guards. The pit had begun to descend and he looked around for any entryway that stuck out as a possible entry point for this champion. The pit ceased in its descending and a doorway on the other side of the arena was slowly opening up.

"Ladies and gentleman… I give you…"

He took up his large club and shield, taking on a defensive stance as he prepared himself for whatever was coming out…

"Your…"

Thor's hand clenched tightly over the grip of his club.

"Incredible…"

The doorway didn't open up fast enough as a very large and very familiar green being smashed its way out.

"HULK!" He roared as he stomped his way into the arena, a large ax in one hand and a large hammer in the other. He was dressed in what resembled a gladiator fashion of leather belts and straps, a kilt of a kind, and sandals on his large feet. A helmet with a deep red crest of fur covered his head. His large, muscled form was tense as he roared at Thor. He looked every bit the champion.

Thor, overcome by surprise at the sight of another old teammate that had been thought gone, let out a loud and triumphant "YES!"

The crowd grew silent at the unexpected sound of pleased joy the Lord of Thunder had given their champion. That reaction had been a new one.

"Hey!" said Thor as he turned to look up at the private box where Loki and the Grandmaster were seated. He waved his club up at them. "Hey! We know each other! He's a friend from work!" He turned his attention back to the Hulk, his large smile still there. The Hulk was here and with the Hulk here there was a good chance they could get out of this mess including helping the Red Lady. "Where have you been? Everybody thought you were dead! So much has happened since I last saw you!" He set his club by his side as he relaxed from his stance. "I lost my hammer, like yesterday, so that's still pretty fresh. Loki – Loki's alive. Can you believe it?" He pointed up at the box where the god of mischief could be seen sitting on the far end of a white sofa, looking particularly pale and sickly.

"Loki! Look who it is!" said Thor, not registering the nervous way his brother was eying the Hulk and seeming to shrink into himself. Thor turned to look back at the Hulk, his smile ever bright. "Banner, your wife is here too! She was on a quest to look for you and here you are! Of all the luck! What were the lucky chances she would find you here? Well, minus being imprisoned by a lunatic as a mindless killing machine… That wasn't lucky…"

"Lie!" roared the Hulk as he slammed his weapons together. "Mate not here! Just trick!" He slammed his weapons down as he started stalking toward the god of thunder.

"What are you doing?" asked Thor as he noticed Hulk was making a beeline for him, his intent clear. "It's me, Thor!" He dodged the Hulk's first swing with the large ax. "Banner, we're friends! This is crazy!"

"No Banner," growled the Hulk as he took a swing down with his large hammer. "Only Hulk!"

Thor managed to block the swing of the hammer with his smaller club but it was knocked out of his hand and smashed beneath the heavier weapon. He took a leap back as he reached up to a couple of holsters strapped to his back and pulled out a couple of folded blades, the metal sliding over each other as they extended to their full length with a metallic hiss. He barely managed to avoid another down swing of the large ax, his swords getting caught in the process and crumbling like paper.

Thor snarled, his thought being he really missed his hammer, just before he was hit in the side and thrown clear across the pit. He slammed into the wall of the arena, the wall giving way and sparks flying from the impact. He lifted his head just in time to see the Hulk had thrown his large hammer at him, barely missing his head as it got lodged in the crumbled wall. "I don't want to hurt you!" said Thor but seeing that the Hulk was not going to relent in his pursuit, he quickly climbed out of the destroyed wall and reached up to take hold of the large metal hammer. He pulled on it once, twice, before he managed to get it free. He landed on the ground and swung the large hammer around just in time to catch the Hulk.

The large green being when flying off from the force of the hit, slamming up against the wall of the arena and destroying a good portion of it as he rolled along the length. He finally came to a stop amid the rubble, looking a little shaken from the blow.

Thor, in one last attempt to get through to the Big Guy, walked carefully to him, trying to initiate one of Black Widow's lullabies. Instead of calming him down, the lullaby had enraged the Hulk further. Thor soon found himself being thrown around like a rag doll against the floor of the pit before being flung clear across the way. Thor slammed down onto the ground, creating a small hole in the floor to the depths below. Staggering to his feet, Thor saw this small hole and an idea took hold. He looked up at the Hulk, seeing that the raging monster was not going to cease in his attacks, and he knew he had to get someone else up here to get him to stop.

And it might be the only way of getting her free, if she was still down there…

Taking the large hammer, Thor heaved it up and swung it down hard on the spot where the small hole was. It got bigger but not big enough. He heard the Hulk running toward him and Thor, not wanting to waste this shot, leapt up into the air and put all of his strength into the blow of the hammer. Just as the Hulk was about to reach him, Thor managed to break through the floor of the pit and descended to the depths below.

The crowd went silent at the unexpected move and the Grandmaster, thinking the Lord of Thunder was aiming to make an escape, had pulled out a device that sent in motion the very creature that Thor had been looking for.

There was silence as the crowd murmured and the Hulk stalked the opening, his chest heaving with his rage…

It was five minutes before something started happening…

The Hulk, hearing something coming from the depths of the hole, had set his ax down and went over to the hole to look down. He was thrown back from the force of something being thrown from the hole. It was Thor and he landed with a painful thud on the floor beside the Hulk, rubbing a spot on his jaw as he struggled to his feet.

A familiar scream of rage echoed from the hole as the Red Lady climbed out of it, a haze of heat and fire following her as her heavy chains clanked. The moment she got to her feet, she let out a roar, her red claws bared at Thor.

The god of thunder turned his attention to the Hulk and he saw the disbelief and the recognition on the champion's face. When the Hulk had looked at Thor, he gave his large friend a nod in the affirmative. This was his mate…

The Red Lady snarled as she conjured a fiery whip of energy, the weapon sizzling and sparking from the uncontrolled aspect of its conjurer. Even in such a mindless state, she was capable of using her new skill set and Thor felt his heart sinking just a little. He hoped that the Hulk would find some way through to her…

She raised her hand and hurled the whip of energy at Thor, who narrowly avoided the attack. It snapped against the floor and a small burst of flame erupted from the impact. The Red Lady completely disregarded her mate, not seeing anything but what was programed into her helmet. She moved quickly despite the heavy chains that dragged her down as she rushed at Thor, her intent to kill him ever sure. The fiery whip sparked against the floor as she let loose another snap of her whip, nearly catching him at his head. Thor was retreating, hoping that the Hulk would snap out of it and do something for his mate before he got killed.

Another hurl of her fiery whip had caught the Asgardian, who had attempted to block the blow with his arm. It wrapped around his wrist and he winced as he grit his teeth against the pain. He was pulled toward her and went flying with surprising strength before she lifted a foot and kicked him square in the gut. He was airborne once more as he went flying across the arena and tumbled against the floor, rolling a few times before he staggered back to his feet. She was already on the move toward him, her fiery whip snapping and sparking. She had almost made it to her target when she was suddenly pulled back by an unexpected force.

The Hulk, finally recognizing his mate despite not feeling her through their link, had moved forward and reached out to grab her chains. He pulled on her chains, pulling her back away from Thor, and toward him. He winced as the fiery whip unintentionally snapped and sparked against his green hide but he didn't give up. The moment she was close enough he wrapped his massive arms around her and held her close, keeping her arms down at her sides as she tried to fight him off without hurting him.

It was programmed in her helmet to only go after the intended target the Grandmaster set. His beloved champion was off limits and she could not harm him. She mustn't or else the Grandmaster would be upset…

"Cin… Mate…" rumbled the Hulk as he held her close, struggling to keep her still. Despite the desperation in his voice, the sheer relief that was coursing through him at seeing his mate alive had thrown all thoughts of fighting out the window. He noticed the strange helmet and collar, seeing the helmet was covering half of the face he loved so much. It had to come off, he knew it was the reason their link was blocked. His gaze went to Thor and he took a step toward his friend. "Get helmet off."

Thor, seeing that the Hulk had finally intervened, was rubbing his abdomen as he made his way back to them when he caught the Hulk's eye and heard his request. Thor nodded, not hesitating, as he ran forward and reached out to the raging woman. The moment he touched the helmet, he let out a hiss as it burned him; she was running very hot in her rage. But this helmet had to come off…

Reaching back out, he took hold of the helmet, his fingers digging onto the metal and he began to pull. He kept pulling despite the screaming rage of the woman in front of him, kept pulling as he thought of all she had suffered for the simple fact of trying to find her mate, of agreeing to help him. The metal was slowly giving way but not fast enough. His eyes sparked, the memory of the promise he had made to his father emerging from the depths of his mind. He kept pulling on the helmet, the spark of his lightening emerging as his eyes disappeared beneath a bluish-white glow. He pulled one more time, a powerful shock of lightening emerging from his hands at that moment. It short circuited the helmet and the metal began to crack beneath his grip before it finally shattered into pieces.

The loud crack of thunder from the resounding power surge had thrown everyone back and silenced the crowd who had been crying for blood…

The Hulk, who had carefully held onto his mate from the force of the blow, struggled a little as he sat up. He felt the stirring in his arms and when he looked down, he caught sight of familiar, glowing yellow eyes. The link between them was still silent but the helmet was gone and she was docile, looking confused and lost. The collar that was around her neck was still active and it seemed to be the continued cause of their blocked link. He would need to take it off her later but now… now…

The Hulk let out a questioning grumble as he reached out to run a gentle finger against Cin's cheek.

His mate blinked up at him, not recognizing him for who he was, but it was hard to get rid of instinct. Especially between two raging monsters that were mated…

Cin relaxed in his hold and closed her eyes, falling into the darkness as exhaustion consumed her.

The Hulk held her close, his heart aching with desperate relief and love at having his mate with him.

Thor, who had been struggling to his feet, saw the mated pair and a light smile touched his lips. At least that was one thing that finally went right…

A sudden electric pulse from the side of his neck caught him off guard and he was incapacitated, falling over to the side. He caught a glimpse of the Hulk getting to his feet with his mate in his arms, the green being's gaze was on the god of thunder and he looked as if he were moving toward him.

Thor grunted before he passed out…


	116. Her Head Was Pounding

_It's the opposite of how you feel_

_When the pain they caused is just too real_

_Takes everything you have to say the word…_

**Forgiveness** – Matthew West

-o-

Chapter 116: Her Head Was Pounding

Her head was pounding and her neck was aching by the time she came to. It felt like her skull had been thrust into a transformer just before being ripped apart. It was not one of the best feelings one should wake up to that was for sure. There was a heavy weight around her neck, which didn't help with the pounding pain. Slowly testing her body out, she found that her limbs were all in working order yet they were bound together so she couldn't move much. She thought she could hear the sound of deep voices arguing back and forth from somewhere nearby but her senses were still muffled from whatever the hell she had gone through.

Tentatively, she reached out to the wall between herself and Ana, finding that instead of the clear wall as there had been for the past year, there was nothing but a blank surface. Slight panic rose up in her as she mentally pressed herself against the wall, calling out her human's name. When the sudden shock of an electric pulse registered, she pulled herself away from the mental wall and struggled to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was fighting off a horde of robots, trying to keep them from putting something on her… Then she felt…

The moment Erin opened her eyes, things started to shift into focus.

She was lying on her side and was wrapped up in blankets and furs; the large bed was surprisingly comfortable in spite of the fact that she was shackled. As she struggled to get herself upright, the deep voices that she had heard earlier started to register.

"…prophesied death of my home world. The end of days, it's the end of… Your wife had sworn to my father that she would help me save Asgard. I had sworn to him and to an ally that I would get her back home safely to Earth. Her entire reason for helping me was to find you! Yet, you don't want to go back with her? Back to your family?"

"Hulk no good for family…"

"They love you. You are a husband, a father, a brother… They are your family. As I am your friend. Family and friends support one another. Lady Ana would agree with me. You know as well as I that she would not stay here willingly."

"Thor go… Mate stay with Hulk."

"Well, that should be up to her, shouldn't it?"

"Thor go!" The sound of something could be heard landing with a squishy thump against the floor.

"Fine, stay here… But I promise you that Lady Ana will be coming with me. She would not forsake her children… Not even for you."

The sound of footsteps could be heard as Erin finally managed to get herself up and caught sight of Thor, with much shorter hair than she remembered, walking off to the entrance of the room they were all in. Her heart gave a funny jolt as she caught sight of the Hulk standing in front of the bed, his broad shoulders and back heaving with his breathing as he clenched his fists. He looked like he had been standing vigil by the bed for quite some time.

"This place is hideous by the way," said Thor as he turned around to glance back at Hulk. "The red and the white… Just pick a color. Ridiculous..."

"Smash you," said Hulk in turn, lifting his head slightly.

"You didn't smash anything," said Thor. "I would've won that fight."

"Baby arms," said Hulk as he took a step back to sit on the edge of the bed, the mattress bouncing from the heavy weight. Erin found herself bouncing up and falling back down to her side, her short dark curls falling over her eyes. A pang of annoyance hit her.

"Moron," Thor called over his shoulder just before the sound of a very loud beep rang from the doorway. Thor gave a grunt and groan in pain as whatever it was that had kept Thor from leaving knocked him unconscious.

The sound of Hulk's deep laughter filled the room as he slapped a large hand down on his thigh. "Thor go again!"

A growl escaped Erin's lips as she once more struggled to get herself upright.

The sound had caught the Hulk's attention and he glanced behind him, catching sight of his mate finally awake. His smile had disappeared at the sight of her moving and he was quick to reach out to her. Erin soon found herself sitting upright in his lap, his hands braced on her hips, as he ran his cheek along the curls of her dark hair. Erin was shocked, the familiar feel of him not registering at first until she felt his lips pressing against her temple.

"Cin… Mate…"

That familiar deep rumble of his voice, the feel of him surrounding her, brought back so many memories that all she could do was sit there. The tears were threatening to spill over as his arms tightened around her. A part of her wanted to just sit there, basking in the familiar warmth of him, but the shock was slowly giving way to anger. She looked down at her bound hands and feet, the heavy metal of the shackles digging into her skin. Her fingers and toes were no longer clawed and the shackles were slightly loose but not loose enough to slip out of. She was in her partial raging form and it would seem she would stay that way until she could get Ana back. The helmet was gone, that much was obvious, but the collar was still blocking her mental connections. She couldn't feel Ana. She couldn't even feel her mate and he was holding her. The heavy weight of the collar around her neck and the feeling of her senses being muffled made her temper rise a little too quickly to the surface.

With a snarl, she thrusted her elbow into his gut, catching him by surprise and making him release her. She went tumbling to the floor and rolled a few times before she came to a stop facing the entrance where Thor was knocked out. With her hands and feet bound, she couldn't get herself back up easily and she was growling something fierce as she stared at the entranceway, her tears now falling.

"Cin…?"

She heard him get off the bed and move closer to her but she rolled away from him in an effort to get away. She fell down a step and onto the main floor of the room, this time facing up and her tears now spilling down from her glowing, yellow eyes.

She was angry.

So very angry.

At Odin, at Thor, at Loki, at herself for even agreeing to any of this in the hope of finding her mate…

However, she was mostly angry at him.

All those days and nights she spent deep within Ana, a broken mess – questioning her very identity – leaving Ana alone to deal with the broken pieces and two babies to raise. The pain and anguish that they all suffered that first year he had been gone…

Had it not been for Ana being so strong, had it not been for Tony being so supportive, for Betty and Erai, her _family,_ she would have been lost herself completely.

Yet, he had been alive this whole time… He could have found a way back to them…

And where was Bruce? Where was his other self? Had the Hulk been dominant this whole time? Had he kept Bruce locked away?

Her heart was aching at the thought of Bruce – calm and sweet Bruce – who had loved Ana and her and their twins with his all. He would have never wanted to leave them… No matter what may have happened.

Which could only mean…

The moment he stepped into her line of sight, his familiar green eyes filled with such a desperate sadness, Erin ignored the urge to go to him. She snarled at him, her teeth bared, as she allowed her anger to bubble up. "Don't come near me," she spat as she shifted so that she was on her side, not wanting to look at him. "Don't touch me."

Hulk had paused in surprise at this, hearing full sentences from his mate let alone ones that were filled with such venom, piercing a part of his heart. "Cin…? Ana…?"

"She can't hear you," Erin said bitterly as she struggled against the heavy shackles that bound her wrists. They seemed to be melded together and would not give way at Erin's constant pulling. She was weaker than she thought. "Collar is blocking her."

Hulk, not registering that his mate really didn't want to be touched, reached down to take her hands in his and pulled the shackles apart before moving to her feet to do the same. Now somewhat free, Erin struggled to get to her feet, snarling at the towering form of the Hulk as he went to help her. He stopped and stared after her, the hurt look on his face pulling at her heartstrings despite her anger.

She ran her hands over her dark curls and massaged her temples, trying to ease the pounding of her head before she wiped her tears away. Now was not the time to cry…

Instead, she carefully made her way over to Thor, her steps slow and mindful. She studied her shackles, noting that they might be connected to her collar, before she sighed heavily. She glanced down at the god of thunder, seeing that he was finally coming to. She leaned down to help him up into a sitting position.

"Lady… Ana?" groaned Thor as he looked at her in question.

"Erin," she corrected as she sat down on the floor beside him. "Ana's locked up…" She reached up to pull at the collar around her neck and winced, feeling the pinch and pull of the electrodes imbedded in the back of her neck. "Need to get this off… Need to get out of here. Your sister…"

Thor sighed heavily as he rubbed his short hair. "I know… but your…?" His gaze flicked behind them, where the Hulk was shifting from one foot to another, his gaze focused entirely on Erin.

"Ana and I swore to Odin we would help you first," said Erin, her anger clear as she didn't even spare her mate a glance. "We keep our word, unlike some people."

Thor felt a slight pang of sympathy toward his large friend at the obvious venom in her tone. "The collar around your neck… and this thing in mine." He reached up, trying to pull at the small disk imbedded in his skin. "We'll need to find some way to get these things off."

Erin frowned as she looked at her left hand, seeing the tiny glow of the arc reactor, before sighing heavily. "We'll find a way to get these things off and get out of this place. Once we do, and Ana is back, we'll head straight to Asgard."

Thor glanced at her left hand and, spotting the arc reactor in the metal casing where the nanobots were kept, felt a jolt of excitement and hope rise up in him. Of course, the tech would have survived Ana and Erin's change. It was a mix of Stark's tech with sorcery, they would have accounted for it. He looked at her, his electric blue eyes bright. "That's right! You can conjure a gateway!"

"Not by myself," said Erin as she clenched and unclenched her fist. "Ana and I work together to do our sorcery. Without her, anything I conjure would be an uncontrolled mess that would sooner cut you in half."

Thor winced at those words, thinking back on her fiery whip, as he slowly got to his feet before leaning down a hand to help Erin to hers. "So, we need to get Lady Ana back…"

"Ana…?"

Erin's frown was immediate as she got to her feet and she turned to look at her mate, her anger clear. "Don't. You made your choice the moment you abandoned us."

Hulk felt as if something had closed around his heart as he took a step toward her. "Hulk hurt mate… Hurt my fiery one… Didn't want to. Family safer without Hulk."

Erin shook her head, hearing his reasons and trying to force herself not to understand him. "Luc and Beccie _needed_ you and Bruce! Ana and I needed-" She kept herself from speaking, stomping down on the words, trying to keep her love for him down and separate from the here and now. "Doesn't matter anymore…" she muttered as she turned away from him and made her way to the large window. She sat down on the floor to stare at the garbage city in the setting dusk of twilight, the many streaming lights of the passing ships and vehicles not making it look any more appealing than it had before.

Behind her, she could hear her mate moving toward her but suddenly stop.

She didn't look but she knew that Thor had stepped in to keep the Hulk away from her at the moment.

She needed her space.

Her space to think, to let her anger out…

It was moments like this that she appreciated Ana so much. She was patient and kind… She would have reacted in a completely different way, Erin was sure. She was always quick to forgive those she loved.

Erin was finding it a little difficult to find that same patience…

-o-

Hulk was feeling the ache in his heart as he watched his mate sulk in front of one of the large windows of his apartments.

Several times throughout the night, he had tried to go to her but was kept back by her warning snarls and growls, her glowing eyes filled with nothing but anger and disgust. It twisted in the pit of his stomach, seeing that look directed at him.

"Leave her be," Thor had muttered to him, sympathizing with his large friend as he reached out to slap a hand on his massive shoulder. "Right now, we need to figure a way out of here…"

Hulk had snorted at that, not responding to Thor's constant request to leave this place.

His friend didn't seem to understand there was no leaving this place.

The night had passed with little else to do but sulk and sleep. When morning came it was time for Hulk's training session with Angry Girl.

When he had finished getting dressed, heaving his heavy hammer over his shoulder, he had made his way over to Cin, being mindful to keep his distance. "Hulk trains…"

"Oh really? Well, have fun with that," she said, not bothering to look up at him as she dug her fingers into her collar, still trying to find a way to get the thing off of her. Thor had overheard her and his lips thinned, finding it eerie just how much like Stark she sounded at that moment. They were most definitely siblings.

Hulk's face fell slightly at the dismissive tone and he turned away to head to the entrance, finding Angry Girl already waiting for him.

Angry Girl was smiling up at him but the moment she saw the heartbroken look on his face, her smile faded. She was sure she was going to find the Big Guy to be a happy mess this morning. After what she had witnessed at the fight, she was able to get a last-minute meeting with the Grandmaster. She had managed to convince the boss that two of his most beloved possessions were in fact a married couple. What they had witnessed in the pit had been true enough – it also helped that his adored executioner was wearing the same wedding band as his beloved champion. The Grandmaster had been more than willing to keep them together…

Why was it then that the Big Guy looked so broken?

"Hey Big Guy," she said in concern as he walked straight passed her without looking at her. "What's wrong?"

"Angry Girl… Mate hate Hulk…" was all he said as his grip on his hammer tightened.

That didn't sound right…

She paused in her steps and looked back at the entranceway. She had seen it for herself last night… The way they had looked at each other once the helmet had been broken…

He did tell her once that he left his wife and their children for their safety… There was a good chance his mate was still angry at him for that.

Maybe if…

An idea took hold, a sudden and crazy idea that just might work.

If the Red Lady still loved the Big Guy as much as he still did her, there was one good way to test that out. No matter how angry one could be, if the love was still there, there was a good way to make that anger to quickly be forgotten.

"Hey Big Guy, don't worry," said Angry Girl as she moved to catch up with him. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you she's just mad. C'mon, let's work out that stress. I got a plan to get your woman back in your arms…"

-o-

"He loves you, you know," said Thor, the moment they were alone. He had moved over to sit beside Erin, watching her as she tried and failed to get the collar off.

She paused as she dropped her hands in her lap, her tears welling up in her glowing eyes. "I know… I can see it. I'm just so angry with him!" She clenched her fists as she looked down. "He left all of us-"

"Out of love," said Thor, reaching out to take one of her hands in an effort to keep her calm. He noticed the distinct difference in Lady Ana and Lady Erin the moment she had identified herself. Ana was the calmer of the two of them. It was quite clear they balanced each other out. Without Ana, Erin was nothing more than a well-spoken version of her large mate. Her anger was quite close to the surface. "He didn't want to risk hurting you again… He thought he did what was best."

"What about Bruce?" she asked as she looked at the hand that held hers. "He wouldn't have left us. Not for anything."

"He's in there somewhere, locked away deep, but he's in there. Just like Ana is in you," said Thor, leaning forward slightly to look Erin in the eye. "You are all still alive. By the grace of Valhalla, you have managed to find each other again! You set out to find your mate and you have. Don't let your anger cloud that blessing."

Erin was silent a moment as she studied the Asgardian beside her before she felt herself calming and a slight smile touched her lips. "You reminded me so much of your mother just then…"

Thor, caught off guard by the comment and comparison to his mother, couldn't help the sad smile that touched his bearded lips. He squeezed her hand as he glanced out the large window. "I thank you for that Lady Erin… I miss her." His smile faded as he shook his head. "I lost my father… My hammer… My people – _our_ people – are at the mercy of a lunatic my father kept secret all my life and we're stuck here on this disgusting world…"

"We'll find a way," said Erin as she squeezed his hand in turn. "Ana and I promised to help and we will. You won't be alone in this."

"Thank you for being a good friend," said Thor before he let her hand go and got to his feet. "I need to see what's going on back home. I am going to contact Heimdall."

Erin nodded as she turned her attention back to the collar around her neck, feeling the connections with a gentle finger. It was going to be a long day…

-o-

The sound of feminine laughter caught Erin's attention later that day, just as the sun was setting. She glanced up to find Hulk and a female Asgardian making their way into the apartments.

"Big Guy, you did really well in your training today," said the female as she reached up to pat the Hulk's large bicep. "Keep it up and I may just reward you."

The Hulk let out a smirk at this but didn't say anything in response as he set his large hammer down on the floor. He didn't look Erin's way as he took off his leather garb and straps, dropping that to the floor as well. His broad back rippled with muscle as he rubbed the sweat from his brow.

"So Big Guy, about tonight…" said the female as she moved around to stare up at Hulk. "I was thinking we move you to another set of apartments, get away from the stifling air in here… I could help cool you down."

The low growl escaped from Erin before she could stop herself, her anger quickly rising at the audacity of this little female. He was _her_ mate and hers alone. Regardless of what may have happened… She didn't come all this way to find him alive only to lose him to some hussy.

"I'm telling you, we could have a lot of fun…" said the female as she leaned up close to Hulk, pressing her armored chest against where she could reach, which was his forearm. "Clean up and let's get out of here."

The moment the female had placed another hand on him, Erin's scream of rage was loud, startling Thor from his spot by the bar. Her collar forgotten, she launched herself up from the floor and made a beeline for the female, her hands already forming into red claws. Before she could even get to the Asgardian, she was swept up into strong arms and held close against a massive chest.

" _He's mine!_ " she snarled, her anger rising as her shackles began to grow red hot from rising thermal energy. " _My mate!_ "

The female was giving a cheeky grin as she backed away, her eyes on the Hulk as she gave a wink. "See? Told you she didn't hate you."

The Hulk had turned his squirming mate around in his arms, a goofy smile on his face as he held her up by her waist. "Mine?" he asked, his voice a grumble.

His answer was his mate wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his in a very possessive kiss. Her legs wrapped around his waist as all sense of anger toward him went out the window the moment another female had dared laid a hand on what was hers. " _Always,_ " she growled when she broke away before pressing earnest, hot kisses against the side of his neck.

The Hulk let out a deep growl as he felt the familiar feel of his woman and his excitement began to rise.

It had been _too_ long…

Thor, feeling concern over the sudden about face of his two friends, let out a grunt as he was hit with an electric pulse from the side of his neck. He went down like a sack of potatoes, knocked out cold.

The female was putting away her little remote as she went over to grab Thor and started dragging him from the room, ignoring the sound of snarls, growls and moans followed by the sound of the bed breaking behind them.

The two needed some time alone.

Four was a crowd after all.

While the Asgardians had left the apartments, neither the Hulk or his mate had noticed that they were now alone. The Hulk was relishing over every kiss and nip from his mate while he ripped the chainmail dress she had been wearing clean off of her body. The metal pieces scattered, revealing Erin’s naked form and the Hulk allowed a pleased grumble to escape him.

His woman, his mate, with her lithe body glowing with heat and her gasping growls as she ripped at the kilt around his hips, was everything he had missed. She was his other half, the part of him that had been missing for so long, and he couldn’t believe that she was here. So many nights he had dreamed of this…

“Hulk _please!_ ” She growled, managing to loosen his kilt enough with her feet so she could pull it down from his hips. His member emerged and bobbed to attention, thick and hard from the anticipation of what was to come. She was on him a moment later, wrapping her legs around his waist as she bit and nipped at his lips, her hot slit moist and ready for him. He took her by the thighs and lifted her from the bed as he sat back on his legs. Despite the long time apart, this was a familiar a dance to the both of them and he positioned his mate over his throbbing member. He aligned himself with her opening, his hands gripping her firmly by the hips, before giving a strong thrust upward into her tight wetness.

It had been too long for the both of them and Erin cried out from the sudden intrusion while a guttural growl vibrated from him. He lifted her and then dropped her, thrusting up at the same time, once and then twice. She was so tight and it took those two deep thrusts for him to be fully within her. Erin’s gasping breath was punctuated with a growl as she leaned forward and bit him on his shoulder, trembling from the feeling of him inside of her. He groaned as he started a rough rhythm of thrusting, sliding in and out of her. It took a few more moments of thrusting before she adjusted to the size of him, her wet walls surrounding him and gripping him with each deep stroke.

Her anger had sizzled out the moment he had made that first thrust and she was running her nails roughly over him with each bouncing thrust up into her, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh adding to the instinctive and sensual music they danced to. “M-my mate,” she whimpered and gasped when one of his deep thrusts found its mark.

“Always,” he growled as he thrusted, his movements growing more frantic as he felt the tightness in the pit of his lower ab growing, the knot of pleasure growing tighter and tighter. It had been too long… Much too long…

He was fighting back the growing pleasure, watching his mate as she bounced with each strong thrust he gave. He wanted to see her, he wanted to feel her fall apart. She was almost…

His grip on her hips tightened painfully as he thrusted sharp and deep up into her while giving a roll of his hips. He got the satisfaction of seeing Erin’s eyes flutter closed and throw her head back as a deep sob escaped her, her body tensing up as her climax hit her like a crashing wave. Her sob turned into a choking, gasping mess of words and cries as she trembled violently within his grip. Seeing her fall apart, feeling her tightening around him, hearing the delicious sounds that spilled from her lips as they escalated to a higher pitch just shy of a scream, set him over the edge. With a final thrust upward, he surrendered with a hoarse shout of release, his member swelling within her walls before his hot seed spilled deep inside her in several spurts. Her walls throbbed from her fading climax and milked him of everything he gave…

There was a brief moment of languid peace as their rough breaths broke through the silence that followed. Erin had opened her eyes and looked at her mate, his green eyes meeting her gaze. They stared at one another for a moment before she gave a wicked little smirk. “Again?”

Hulk studied his mate, hearing the familiar question that had been asked so many times in the past, and he smirked right back at her.

Oh, hell yes…


	117. His Head Hurt

_I was a fool to ever leave your side_

_Me minus you is such a lonely ride…_

_There's one perfect fit_

_And, sugar, this one is it…_

**Reunited** – Peaches and Herb

-o-

Chapter 117: His Head Hurt

His head hurt, his neck hurt, the ends of his nerves were still feeling the pins and needles from the attack of that blasted disc imbedded in his neck. He really hated this thing and he was harboring a strong dislike for the Valkyrie that used it on him. When he had come to the night before, he had been in a smaller room with the Valkyrie and a set of guards. When he had tried talking to her, he would only get a warning look and a quick wave of the remote in her hand. He hadn't been able to make any leeway at getting the female Asgardian to his side. The last thing he remembered was once more attempting to talk to her and being blasted by the stupid thing in his neck.

When he finally came to again, it was to find himself back in the apartments that belonged to the Hulk. From the large windows, Thor could see the city was still blanketed in darkness but judging from the hint of growing light on the horizon, morning would soon be coming. Instead of being on the floor, he was resting on a pile of large cushions in a corner beside the window furthest from the sleeping area. The rooms were even more of a mess than they had been before he was knocked out. The walls and floors had several indentations that were vaguely human shaped, most of the furniture was broken beyond repair, and he really didn't want to know about the bed.

It was quiet, which meant the mated couple had finally worked out Erin's anger and satisfied their carnal passion for one another.

Thor groaned as he sat up, tenderly rubbing the skin around the disc and wincing at the sting that followed suit.

"Thor be quiet."

The god of thunder jumped in surprise, not expecting anyone to be up after what it looked like in here. As he got to his feet, he caught sight of the Hulk sitting on the step that led up to the sleeping area. The bed frame – which had been the skull and jaw of some large carnivorous creature – was broken in pieces. The mattress was still intact and he could see that Erin was fast asleep within the thick folds of the bedsheets and furs.

"Cin sleep," Hulk grunted as he turned his attention back to the large knife he was holding, carefully skinning a piece of large fruit that resembled a pear in shape.

"Made up, did you?" Thor asked as he straightened and he tried not to laugh at the smug smile that appeared on the Hulk's lips.

"Missed my fiery one," Hulk said after a moment as he glanced over his shoulder at his sleeping mate, the smug smile melting to something a little more tender.

"She missed you too," said Thor as he moved carefully to stand across from him. He folded his arms across his chest as he lowered his voice. "She misses Banner as well…"

At the mention of Banner, Hulk's tender expression disappeared and he turned his attention back to Thor. "No Banner. Only Hulk. Hulk stay here."

Thor could see the hatred in Hulk's green eyes at the mention of his counterpart and his lips thinned. "Ana would be very sad to hear that when she comes back… She loves the both of you. She'll hate that you're staying here."

Hearing Ana's name, the hatred in Hulk's eyes faded to worry and he glanced back at his sleeping mate. Hulk loved Ana as well and the thought of her being sad was something he didn't like. It was a constant conflict with him: His hatred of Banner versus his love for their women.

The Hulk got up from the step and walked away from the sleeping area, wanting to give his mate a moment's peace. He made his way over to Thor as he shook his head. "Can't go… "

"Well that is entirely up to you, my friend," said Thor as he moved to look out the large window, a sliver of anger at the selfishness of the Hulk rising up in him. "Your mate won't see it the same way."

"Mate stay with Hulk," said Hulk, though the doubt could be heard in his voice.

"She won't," said Thor, lowering his voice more when he heard Erin shifting in her sleep. "Your children are waiting for the both of you… She won't leave them."

Hulk's frowned deepened as he shook his head. He turned away from Thor as he walked off, taking a huge bite of the fruit.

"She promised she would help me save Asgard," said Thor, moving to follow him. "As soon as we find a way to get these restraints off, we are finding a way off this garbage rock. Don't break her heart all over again. Come with us, help us save my people, and go home to your family."

The Hulk shook his head again as he took another bite of his fruit.

The anger rose up in Thor as he kicked a large metal bowl out of the way. "You're not even listening!" he said, his voice getting a little louder. "I lost my father! I lost my hammer! My people are in danger! Your wife is the _only_ who gives a damn and only because she wanted to find you! Now, she finds you and you don't want to come with us? Why? Because she is helping me? If that's the case, you're being a really bad husband and a _really_ bad friend."

"Don't kick stuff!" Hulk roared as he turned around to fling the fruit at Thor, who raised his arm to block it. "Don't yell! Mate sleep! You bad friend!"

"You're yelling too!" Thor said as he kicked a large helmet out of the way. "You know what we call you? We call you the stupid Avenger!"

Hulk, his anger rising, picked up a large metal shield with sharp edges and flung it at Thor. "You're tiny Avenger!"

It went sailing across the way, bounced on the floor – narrowly missing Thor – before imbedding itself in the wall.

"Are you crazy?!" Thor yelled, turning around to glance incredulously at the Hulk.

"Yes," said Hulk as he picked up a large mace and held it up, waiting for Thor to make the next move.

"You know what?" said Thor, his anger getting the best of him. The entire situation over the past several days was finally wearing him thin. "You're right. Your family is better off without you." The moment he said the words he regretted them and his anger was quick to fade at the sight of the hurt look on the Hulk's face.

The Hulk shook his head as he dropped the mace and turned around to walk toward the nearest window. He sat down with a heavy thud, his body tense as he shook his head again. When he saw Thor making his way over, he once more shook his head in a fierce manner. "No, nuh-uh, no," he muttered, not wanting to look at the smaller male.

Thor sat down beside him, feeling guilt and shame. He was better than this; his mother had raised him better. "I'm sorry I said those things… I didn't mean it. You're not the stupid Avenger. Nobody calls you that… And your family would be better with you. They miss you…"

The Hulk glanced down at Thor, his form relaxing at the apology. "It's ok…"

"You should be more careful," said Thor as he glanced up at Hulk. "You shouldn't throw shields at people. Could've killed me."

"I know, I'm sorry," said Hulk as he clenched his large fists. "I just get so _angry_ all the time. Hulk always… always angry."

Thor chuckled at this as a gentle smile touched his bearded lips, remembering that Erin had stated something similar just the day before. "We're alike – you, your mate, and I – just a few hot-headed fools…"

"Yeah, same," said Hulk as he smirked, memories from the previous night welling up. "Hulk and Cin like fire… Thor like water."

Thor chuckled as he tilted his head to the side. "Ahhh, we're all kind of like fire…"

"But Cin _real_ fire," said Hulk as he looked at his clenched fists, the look on his face taking on a dreamy quality. "A raging fire… So angry… Mate beautiful when angry."

"O-ok!" said Thor as he quickly got up, noticing that his friend's attraction to his mate was taking on a more physical quality beneath the brown kilt he was wearing. He reached out to pat the larger man on a broad shoulder, avoiding his gaze. "Let's keep that between you and your mate."

"You two love birds made up?" asked a husky voice and they both turned to find Erin was wide awake. She had the bedsheets wrapped around her chest, her dark curls were a frazzled mess about her head, and a cheeky grin was on her face as she watched them. Her glowing, yellow eyes were dim in their light, revealing she was relaxed and at ease.

"It would seem so," said Thor as he smiled at his friend. "Now that we're all in one another's good standing again, I say we find a way out of here."

Erin, who glanced at her mate and noticed that his attention was focused solely on her, quickly looked back at Thor. She looked as if she was trying her very best not to fall into temptation.

"We need Ana," said Erin as she moved off the bed, being mindful to cover her nakedness. "To do that, we need that female Asgardian back here. She has the remote to take these things off our necks."

Thor smiled at that, seeing that she was tempted by the sight of her mate but doing her best to ignore it. He was grateful that she had her wits about her. Thor, intending on keeping everyone focused on the mission at hand, turned to the Hulk. "Do you think you can help us out?"

Hulk, reluctantly dragging his gaze from the sight of his partially nude mate, looked at Thor as he raised a dark brow in question.

-o-

Later that morning found Thor sitting in a corner of the cluttered room, out of the direct line of sight of the entrance way. Erin was keeping him company while Hulk waited for the Valkyrie – since they didn't know her true name – to show up.

While Hulk was keeping himself busy by bouncing a large red ball against a wall, Erin was doing her best with trying to make a dress out of one of her mate's large kilts. The only thing she had been wearing when she had been brought in to the apartments was a short dress of chainmail, which her mate had torn apart. She was chewing on her lower lip as she struggled with one of the leather straps over her shoulders when Thor leaned in close, his voice low.

"He's hell bent on staying here…"

Erin didn't even spare him a glance as she tied the strap. "So he thinks," she said as she gave it a good tug to make sure it was snug before she finally looked at him. "I have a plan for that but it means you might be in the line of fire…"

Thor, hesitant on wanting to know what she was alluding to but convinced that they would need the Hulk, nodded to her after a moment. "All right… What's the plan?"

"We're going to need that Valkyrie's remote, there's a good chance she won't give it willingly," said Erin as she folded her arms. "Get it any way you can. Hulk and I will keep her distracted so you can have an easier chance. Once you do, the moment you shut this collar off there's going to be a disconnect." She glanced across the room to where her mate was still bouncing the ball against the wall, the look on her face growing soft with love. "One of the large windows has a crack from our escapades last night. The windows are tough but not invincible. I won't be in control of our body the moment Ana starts regaining consciousness. The moment I fall, I want you to take me and bust your way through that window." She gestured to the window that was close to the bar. Thor could see a spider web crack had indeed formed in the glass. "He'll follow…"

Thor glanced at the Hulk as well, a pang of slight worry hitting him. "Are you sure?"

Erin looked at him, her glowing eyes growing bright. "Once this damn collar comes off, the link between us will reconnect. He won't ignore the pull."

Thor looked at Erin, his concern growing as he studied her, lowering his voice so as not to be overheard. "All right… Yet, we cannot have him destroying the Quinjet. Is there a chance Banner will come out before then?"

"The moment the link between us is back, Bruce will feel it," said Erin, a wistful look on her face at the thought of the calmer side of her mate. "He will feel Ana and me. I guarantee he will come out, if only because of us." She had left the rest unsaid but Thor understood. The last Bruce had seen of his wife and mate, they had been unconscious by his hand over two years ago. Feeling them again would be a definite incentive to overcome the Hulk's control.

"Let's hope by Odin's beard, you're correct in your assumption Lady Erin," said Thor as he looked at Hulk once more. They were placing a lot of faith in Bruce overcoming the Hulk. If Erin happened to be wrong, it would put everything at risk…

"Angry Girl!" Hulk's voice boomed in greeting, drawing their attention to him and seeing the female Asgardian making her way into the room. She had a bright smile on her face as she ran over to Hulk and dodged a swing from his fist. She ducked down, sweeping her legs out and knocking him off his feet. He landed on his stomach with a loud laugh as she pressed her boot against his back. "Big Guy, you're smiling! Where's the missus?"

The sound of Erin's growl had caught the other woman's attention and she looked over just in time to see Erin was making her way over to them, looking less than pleased.

Valkyrie's smile grew bigger as she quickly stepped off the Hulk's back, holding her hands up in surrender. "Easy there, Red Lady. No harm done. I was only helping the Big Guy get back in your good graces. He's all yours."

Erin paused in surprise at this and she looked at Hulk in question, seeing the smug smile on his face. Realization dawned as it hit her that the two had simply been playing along with each other in order to get Erin jealous. Huffing out a breath in frustration, Erin moved over and sat down on her mate's back, crossing her legs for good measure. "You're not getting up from there. Sneaky bastard…"

The Hulk, still smiling, simply wrapped a large hand around her ankle and gave it a squeeze, looking quite content to remain under his mate.

Valkyrie smiled at them as she folded her arms, seeing the obvious love between them and rather relieved the damn helmet was off the Red Lady. That collar and those shackles though…

Her smile faded slightly at the sight of the restrains on the Lyttan woman. It completely disappeared when she caught sight of a familiar Asgardian across the way, who was moving to lean against the shelving unit of the bar. Thor had moved to lean an arm against the shelf but missed and stumbled forward. He managed to save it and bumped up against the shelf, folding his arms as he tried and succeeded in looking very charming.

Erin's husky laughter could be heard, no doubt having caught Thor's less than graceful move and subsequent adorableness. Her laughter turned into a squeal as the Hulk had gotten up, grabbing hold of his mate and lifting her up over his shoulder. He had slapped a heavy hand against her backside, her snarls of protest mixed with giggles.

Valkyrie had glanced back at the couple and a reluctant smile touched her lips at the sight of them. She sighed as her smile disappeared once more, turning to face Thor. "You're so thick-headed that you can't tell when someone's hiding all the way across the universe and wants to be left alone?" She had started to leave, her straight dark hair bouncing with her determined steps.

"We need to talk," said Thor as he quickly moved to follow after her.

"No, _you_ wanna talk to me," she said, barely sparing him a glance over her shoulder as she kept walking away.

"I need her to stay," said Thor as he turned around to look at the raging couple, who had been play wrestling on what was left of the bed. Hulk, who had noticed that Valkyrie was leaving, moved off Erin and grabbed the large broken skull from the floor. He threw the skull across the room and it slammed into the doorway, blocking the way out.

Valkyrie paused and slowly turned around to glare at Hulk.

"Stay," said Hulk as he moved toward the step that led down to the main floor. "Please?"

Thor turned around to look at the woman, his blue eyes genuine. "Please."

"All right," said Valkyrie as she moved toward the bar. "Here's the deal. I'll listen till this is empty." She reached out to grab a large glass bottle of brown liquid and held it up. She pulled off the top and started slamming it down in a few large gulps.

Thor had barely been able to get in a word and all he could manage was a stunned, "Wow…"

"Finished," she said as she dropped the bottle to let it shatter at her feet. "Bye." She started to walk away…

"Odin is dead," an unexpected voice had broken through the silence. Valkyrie turned around to catch sight of Erin standing by her mate, her yellow glowing eyes watching the Asgardian woman. The Hulk had resumed with his game of catch with the large red ball, tossing it against the wall.

Thor, throwing a grateful look Erin's way, had turned his attention back to the other woman. "Hela, the Goddess of Death, has invaded Asgard."

Valkyrie turned her attention to Thor, her frown growing. "If Hela's back, then Asgard's already lost."

"I'm going to stop her," said Thor, his smile growing as he watched the woman.

"Alone?" she asked, her tone incredulous.

"Nope," said Thor with a shake of his head. "I'm putting a team together. It's me, you, and the raging couple behind us."

"No! No team! Only Hulk and Cin," said Hulk as he threw the ball against the wall only to let out a grunt in pain, dropping the ball. His mate had moved over to him and had reached over to pinch his backside. He had looked at her in surprise and, having noticed the slight smile on her face, grabbed her around the waist to pull her close. Her laughter of delight bubbled out of her.

"I think it's only you," said Valkyrie as she tried to bite back the smile that was brimming at the sight of the couple.

"Please, listen," said Thor as he took a step toward her, not noticing the raging couple behind them was beginning to get a little frisky. While Thor was trying to explain why he needed Valkyrie's help, the Asgardian woman was finding it a little difficult to ignore the couple behind the god of thunder, who were getting hot and heavy. However, the moment Thor had mentioned about the Valkyrie swearing to defend the throne, it caught her attention.

"I'm not getting dragged into another one of Odin's family squabbles," she said before she turned away, intent on leaving Thor and not witnessing the surprisingly enticing scene of the Big Guy making out with his wife.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Thor, which prompted Valkyrie to turn back around and feel the blush rising in her cheeks. She could see the Big Guy was very intent in trying to join with his wife in a very carnal way and she was putting up a damn good fight in keeping him away.

Valkyrie struggled to keep eye contact with Thor as she began to explain what happened to her and the rest of the Valkyries, how Odin had sent them into Hela's realm when she tried to escape her banishment, how none but her survived and she was a broken mess because of it.

"That's what's wrong with Asga-," she said before she felt the heat rushing to her cheeks and lower regions, a soft gasp escaping her when she caught sight of Hulk and his wife. He had managed to grab his mate and his head was buried between her legs, Erin's protesting growls becoming moans of pleasure…

Valkyrie was fanning herself as she turned and quickly made to walk away. That was very, very hot... A part of her was leaning toward asking to join. She quickly stomped down that thought but was distracted when Thor had reached out to grab her arm.

"Don't get familiar," she snarled as she whirled around, whipping out a knife and aiming it at his throat. She couldn't believe that he wasn't the least bit affected by the display going on behind them. A part of her wondered just how well Thor Odinson knew this couple…

"This is about the people," said Thor as he gently pushed away the knife only to find another one take its place. He gently pushed that away as well. "They're dying and they're your people too."

"Forget it," said Valkyrie and she was trying so hard not to look behind him as the sound of Erin's gasping sobs of pleasure filled the room. "I – I have…" She had the amusement of seeing the deep blush filling Thor's cheeks as he listened to his friend's screams.

"Ok," said Thor, once it had finally quieted down behind them.

"Ok," said Valkyrie, reaching back up to fan herself in an effort to cool the rushing blood in her cheeks.

"Good," said Thor as he took a step back. "Great."

"Great," she repeated, risking a glance behind Thor and seeing the couple had finally gotten to their feet now that their lust was satisfied. She had to hold back the laugh at the sight of the smug smile on Hulk's face as he glanced at his mate, the dazed look on Erin's was quite funny.

"Thank you," said Thor as he bowed his head toward her.

"For what?" she asked, once more dragging her attention reluctantly from the couple and back to Thor.

"For this," he said as he held up the small remote and wiggled it in between his fingers with a cheeky grin. "Didn't see that, did you?"

Valkyrie glanced at the remote and then down at her pocket where he had managed to swipe it from. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"There…" he said as he used the remote to power down the disc in his neck and took it off. "That's better." He turned around and gestured his head toward Erin. "Lady Erin."

Erin, having caught sight of what was in Thor's hand, looked up at her mate, hesitating only a moment. "I'm sorry… I can't stay," she said, her hand reaching up to run her fingers along his cheek. Hulk looked at her in confusion and she took that moment to leave his side.

"Do it," she said as she rushed toward Thor, a sob escaping her.

Thor held up the remote and powered down the collar around her neck. With a hiss and a series of clicks, the collar powered down and disconnected, the electrodes releasing from the back of her neck. It came apart in two pieces, the shackles falling off her ankles and wrists at the same moment.

The moment everything disconnected, Erin felt a sudden rush of awareness from within.

The mental wall between Ana and her had gradually become clear and she felt the most wonderful thing since this entire mess started.

_'E-Erin…?'_

Ana's thought came through the wall, groggy and out of sorts, but she was waking up. At the same time, the mate bond reaffirmed itself and emotions that hadn't been felt in so long rushed back and forth along the connection.

The Hulk, who had been moving after Erin, had stumbled over the step the moment he felt his link to his mate come alive again. He groaned at the aching and confusing emotions not only from Erin but from Ana…

Erin could feel herself beginning to change back to her calm form, shrinking to Ana's small stature and she gave in happily. She mentally pressed herself against the clear wall as she felt her consciousness slip while their shared body went through the change.

_'I'm here… I missed you Ana…'_

Thor could see the moment Erin began to slip away as the dominant conscious.

She was growing shorter and her dark hair was turning to a familiar copper brown shade. Her glowing yellow eyes dimmed and he caught a glimpse of unfocused brown eyes just before they fluttered closed. The moment she started falling forward in a faint, Thor had moved forward to sweep her up into his arms bridal style.

He ignored the sound of the Hulk's growl as he turned to look at Valkyrie. "Go ahead, stay here and enslave people for that lunatic. Keep drinking. Keep hiding. As for the Red Lady and me, we choose to run toward our problems and not away from them." He glanced back at the Hulk, seeing the growing rage and didn't hesitate. He shifted Ana in his arms and took a running start toward the cracked window.

The Hulk's roar of anger echoed behind them. "Mine!"

Bracing himself over Ana's form, protecting her from the glass, he smashed through the window. He fell down and managed to catch onto the side of the building that sloped down in an angle. He slid all the way down along the side before leaping to the side of a tall, blue building. He caught the edge and shifted Ana in his grip before leaping down toward the junkyard where the Quinjet had been spotted.

-o-

Ana was having a severe case of vertigo as she felt whoever was holding her bouncing her around before she felt them come to a stop. She felt whoever held her set her down on a solid ground before she heard footsteps walking off. There was a moment’s silence before she heard what sounded like a synthesized voice from a computer followed by muffle curses from a deep voice. She was slowly coming to, feeling as if she had been smothered for who knew how long. Out of instinct, she had pressed herself against the clear mental wall and she could feel Erin was close, unconscious but close. Ana had the sense her other self was drained from whatever they had been through…

Just what the hell happened?

The last thing she remembered was fighting with Loki in the bi-frost…

She let out a panicked gasp of breath as her eyes flew open, struggling to sit up and her vertigo grew worse. She nearly fell back down as she held a hand to her head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said a familiar voice followed by heavy footsteps rushing toward her. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder as the person helped her to sit up. She jumped and tried to pull away from the hand that held her firm. "Lady Ana, it's all right. I won't hurt you."

Ana stopped struggling and looked up at the person who held her. Thor was hovering over her, a look of concern on his face. She blinked a few times as Thor's new look registered with her. "Thor? What… happened to your hair?"

"Oh, some creepy old man cut it all off," said Thor, a bright smile appearing on his face. "You have no idea how good it is to see you. Do you think you can stand? I found the Quinjet but the blasted machine won't let me log in."

She frowned as she looked around, taking in their surroundings. They were indeed inside a Quinjet but it looked like an older model and the inside was a cluttered mess. "I… I don't… What happened to Hela? Where is Loki?" She placed a hand against her temple, feeling an onslaught of rage bubbling up inside her. Yet, it wasn't from her and Erin was unconscious…

"Why do I feel so angry…?" Ana asked as she looked up at Thor, her dazed mind not registering the cause. "Thor, what happened while I was out?"

At her words, Thor's smile faded and a look of worry crossed his features. "Oh no…"

At that precise moment, the sound of tearing metal and a roar of anger could be heard as the back end of the Quinjet was ripped off. "Bad friend! My mate! Mate stay with Hulk!"

Thor got to his feet as he quickly held out his hands in a gesture of calm. "Come now Hulk, calm down! Don't break everything!"

"Mate stay!" The Hulk roared as he struggled his way into the small space, tearing apart the metal frame of the interior.

"Hulk, stop! Ana's fine! She's right here!"

Ana, who had been staring at her large mate as he struggled to get inside the Quinjet, could only gape at him as the mate bond finally registered. The tears were already spilling over as she struggled to her feet. "Hulk?"

The Hulk had paused in surprise at the sight of Ana, her short stature and familiar features registering with him immediately as he felt her aching love from her end of their link. "Ana…?"

The relief and utter joy at finding her mate and husband alive after all this time overwhelmed her and she let out a strangled sob as she stumbled towards him. She reached out to him, tripping over a discarded metal box and nearly toppling over. He was quick to catch her and the moment he brought her close, she had placed her hands on the sides of his face and was pressing earnest kisses against his lips, murmuring incoherent words in between the kisses and sobs.

The Hulk, too stunned at first to react, blinked as his little mate kissed him over and over. There was no anger like there had been with Erin, just love – pure and unyielding love and relief. The feeling of this love, so deep and strong even after all this time, touched a part of him that he had kept locked away. Yet, he did not fight it back, knowing that this needed to happen. Ana needed Banner just as much as he needed his fiery one. He let the wall between them go and he let Banner free…

The quiet that had settled over the Hulk was quickly replaced with a mad sense of disbelief. His hold over Ana tightened as he slowly began to return her kisses. At first gently and then with a desperation that spoke of a man starving for this love. As his form began to shrink, the green faded from his skin, and with each desperate kiss, a soft groan of her name escaped.

The moment Bruce Banner opened his eyes and pulled away to look at the woman in his arms, seeing the familiar bright smile and the deep brown eyes he loved, a strangled almost inhuman noise escaped him. He quickly leaned forward and kissed her, over and over, while he muttered her name as if it were a prayer.

Finally…

 _Finally_ reunited…


	118. Holding Her Now

_And you run and you run_

_To catch up with the sun_

_But it's sinking_

_Racing around to come up behind you again_

_Every year is getting shorter…_

**Time** – Pink Floyd

-o-

Chapter 118: Holding Her Now

Holding her now, feeling her warmth and hearing her voice, seemed like some blessed dream.

After he had finally finished ravishing Ana's lips, he had buried his face within the crook of her neck, his arms tightening around her, as a shameless sob escaped him. "I thought I lost you… I thought you were gone…" He could feel her familiar touch as it ran through his short dark brown hair – which now had more silver threading through it – and he sighed at the familiar calm that emerged.

She was here.

She was alive.

He could hear her soft voice as she muttered incoherent words, a few French phrases he recognized slipping through as she held onto him as tightly as he did her. He wasn't sure how long they had stayed that way and he honestly didn't care. The one thing he had been wishing and praying so fervently for was back in his arms and he was not keen to let her go any time soon.

"As beautiful as this is my friends," said a familiar voice from a few feet away. "We really need to get out of here."

Bruce reluctantly pulled away from his wife to look over her shoulder, seeing the unexpected form of Thor. His brows rose in surprise at the sight of the god of thunder, adjusting his hold on Ana as she shifted to snuggle further in his arms. "Thor?"

"Hey there Banner, are you feeling all right?" asked Thor as he gave the good doctor a bright smile. "Nice to finally have you back with us."

Bruce frowned at the Asgardian, his soft brown eyes taking in the strange new look that Thor seemed to have now. "What happened to your hair?"

"Your wife can tell you," said Thor as he moved off to the side, noticing some discarded clothes that looked as if they had fallen out of one of the lockers. "Right now, we need to get moving."

Bruce glanced down at Ana, the look on his face growing tender as he reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks. He gently pushed her back and cradled her face in his hands so he could look into her eyes. Her lower lip was trembling and she was hiccupping from the struggle of trying to breathe through her sobs. Bruce noticed that her copper brown curls were much shorter than he remembered and she was wearing some god-awful kind of dress. There was something different about her but he couldn't place his finger on what it was. It didn't matter in the long run though because it was his wife, he could feel their mate bond, and it was the most wonderful thing to wake up to. "Hi sweetheart…"

Her tearful laugh brought a smile to his face as she shook her head. "You… We found you… I'm so-" Her words were cut off as another sob choked out of her. She closed her eyes as she moved back into his embrace, burying herself into his chest and hiding his nakedness from view. His arms encircled her without thought and he reached up to brush the short curls aside from her face. She was having trouble speaking so he looked toward Thor, who was pulling out what looked like one of Black Widow's jumpsuits.

"What happened to Sokovia, Thor?" Bruce asked as he shifted a little on his feet, holding his wife close against him.

Thor paused in his digging through the discarded clothes and glanced back at Bruce in confusion. "Sokovia?"

A light frown touched Bruce's features as he gestured with his head out toward the windshield of the Quinjet. "Sokovia! Did we save it?"

The confusion gave way to realization and then hesitance as Thor straightened, spare clothes in hand. "Banner, listen… Sokovia, Ultron… That was two _years_ ago."

A shaft of ice seemed to settle in the pit of Bruce's stomach as he stared at Thor, looking at him for the first time. "What? What are you saying?"

His soft brown gaze immediately glanced down at the woman in his arms and he pulled out of her embrace. He braced her shoulders, looking at Ana's tear streaked face and the dread began to grow. "Ana… Look at me, sweetheart." She looked up at him, the sadness in her brown eyes all too clear, and the dread turned to full blown panic. "Have I been the Hulk for two years?"

Ana sniffed as she reached up to wipe the tears away, giving a nod in confirmation.

Bruce could feel the panic settling in as he studied his wife, noting the differences he had seen in her, and realizing why. He looked at Thor, the panic quite clear on his face. "What the hell happened?"

"Well…"

Bruce shook his head as he took Ana by the hand and made his way to the cockpit of the Quinjet, not even acknowledging his nudity as he pulled his wife behind him. She followed him faithfully, clinging to his hand as if it were her only lifeline.

"Banner, there's something you need to know," began Thor.

Bruce ignored the Asgardian as he stepped up to the control panel, the synthesized voice of the computer telling him voice activation was required. He stuck his right hand against a scanner as he focused his gaze on the monitor. "Banner."

The computer scanned his hand and a beep was heard as the ship recognized the good doctor's handprint and voice. "Welcome, Strongest Avenger."

"Uh, what?"

Bruce ignored Thor, who had come to a stop behind them and was looking over their shoulders. Ana was holding onto his hand and wrapped her free arm around his in a familiar gesture that brought warmth to Bruce's heart. "Ship's log," he said, watching the monitor.

A recording popped up on the monitor and a familiar redheaded assassin was looking at them all, her gaze focused straight into the camera. "Hey Big Guy, we did it. The job's finished. Now, I need you to turn this bird around, ok? I promised I'd get you back home-"

"Delete recording," said Bruce, his tone of voice cold and angry as his hold on his wife's hand tightened.

"Recording deleted," said the computer. "Next recording."

The next recording was of the cockpit of the Quinjet and the Hulk struggling to hold onto the control panel as the jet was rocking dangerously in all directions. Contents from lockers, cases, and other various containers were flying all over the place while an alarm blared in the background. The recording stopped and Bruce could feel his heartrate rising as he looked out the windshield. The view that greeted him was of an alien looking city surrounded by piles of junk and garbage while off in the distance numerous wormholes could be seen in the hazy blue sky.

"Thor, where are we?" asked Bruce as he tore his gaze away from the windshield to look over at the Asgardian before looking down at his wife.

"Yeah, about that," began Thor but a loud siren from outside had cut him off.

They looked out the windshield and caught sight of a large hologram that flickered in and out from static. It was of a very eccentric looking man dressed in robes of metallic shades of gold, red and blue. He had dark grey hair that was swept up into the strangest hairdo Bruce had ever seen on a person.

"Sakaar, hear ye," said the man as his hologram jumped from one position to another. "Attention please. I have some bad news. My beloved exalted champion and his newly found wife, my adored executioner, have turned up missing. Take to the streets! Celebrate my champion and executioner!"

"Who's that?" asked Bruce as he stared up at the hologram of the man in shock.

"He kind of runs the place," said Thor in reply as an uncomfortable look settled over his features. "You actually lived at his house for a while."

"I did?"

"Yeah," said Thor as he nodded. "You and I had a fight recently."

That caught Bruce's attention as he looked from the hologram and glanced at Thor. "Did I win?"

"No," Thor said as he glanced at the good doctor. "It was more of a draw. If it wasn't for your wife being there, I would have won easily."

"What do you mean?" asked Ana, finally speaking for the first time after all of this. She had turned her attention to the god of thunder, her deep brown eyes bearing a glint of Erin's known temper.

Thor, seeing that Ana had no memory of her time at the Grandmaster's home, felt his heart sinking slightly. "It was against you and Lady Erin's will… You were dropped off by the bi-frost weeks ago and somehow captured by the Grandmaster. He kept you under mind control and had used you as his own personal executioner… It had to take the combined efforts of your mate and I to get that blasted helmet off you during our fight. It was a blessed thing you were close by..."

Ana felt the shock as she slowly released her husband and turned to face Thor. "Mind control? Executioner?" She turned slightly pale at what Thor had just told her and glanced down at her hands. "I… killed again? Without knowing? Oh no…" She moved away from them and stumbled slightly over some of the clutter. "I… Those poor people…"

"Ana," said Bruce as he quickly followed after her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Breathe sweetheart… Just breathe… Don't think about it… Don't."

Ana did as he instructed, breathing in deeply and letting it all out in one soft breath. She basked in the familiar warmth of him and relished in the feel of his love through their link.

"I am sorry my friends but we need to move," said Thor as he moved over to the couple and held out some of the clothing he had found.

Bruce looked up at the Asgardian as he shook his head. Despite trying to calm his own wife down, he was still feeling the beginnings of a panic attack coming on. "Thor, this is bad. This is really, really bad…"

"No, no, no," said Thor in a rush, his blue eyes going wide. "Don't freak out! You're both ok." He focused his gaze on Ana and gestured to her. "Is Lady Erin aware? She would be able to fill in the gaps on what you both missed."

Ana had paused in her deep breathing and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them with a shake of her head. " _Non_ , she's still unconscious. Was she aware of what was going on?"

Thor nodded as he thrust the clothes into their arms. "Yes, she was awake while you were out. She said she was going to be unconscious for a brief time since you had to be awake. It would take time for your body to readjust."

A soft sigh of relief escaped Ana as she relaxed, reaching out to take the clothes that Thor offered. "Good… That is good… I was worried for her. When she wakes, we can work on conjuring a gateway out of this place."

"Yes," said Thor, his blue eyes growing bright at the thought.

"What?" interjected Bruce, having no idea what either of them was talking about. He had reached out to take the clothes Thor offered and glanced down at them before looking back at Thor. "These are Tony's clothes…"

"Thor, I am not wearing _her_ clothing," said Ana as she dropped Black Widow's jumpsuit to the floor and went off to one of the lockers. It had the name Banner printed across it in faded letters and she pulled it out, revealing a set of clothes that were for the raging couple. She pulled out her spare Avengers outfit, stared at the old clothing with something akin to nostalgia, before she reached in to pull out a pair of spare khakis that were kept for Bruce after his change. "Here _mon amour,_ " she said as she moved back to Bruce, holding out his pants while untying the leather straps of the terrible dress she was wearing. "While I love my brother, I don't want to see my husband wearing his jeans... You'd be more comfortable in your own."

Bruce took the khakis without protest as he dropped the jeans and focused his gaze on Ana, his soft brown eyes noting the physical changes that his wife had gone through over the apparent past two years. She had a little more tone and curve in her form than he remembered….

He stared unabashedly at his wife's curvy form before he noticed Thor was still there. A deep growl escaped as a hint of green appeared in his neck. "Thor, do you mind giving us a little privacy?"

"Huh?" said Thor and realization dawned on him as he nodded. "Oh! Right! I'll be outside." He moved off the Quinjet rather quickly, not looking Ana's way.

Ana's soft giggle in response to that had calmed Bruce and he focused his attention back on her, not noticing that Thor had left via the large gaping hole in the back of the Quinjet. He felt his heart constricting as he moved over to her, his throat growing tight from the emotion welling up in him. "Ana?" he called to her, the tone of his voice was heartbreaking.

At the sound of his voice, Ana turned around to face Bruce, the smile that had been on her lips falling away at the broken look on his face. "Bruce, what's wrong?"

He was still very much naked and the clothing was held loosely in his hands but he didn't seem to care. He swallowed as his gaze flicked over her face. "I… Everything it seems… I've really been gone two years?"

Ana's face went blank at this as she held the scrap of fabric around her chest. "Yes… After Sokovia, I woke up and… you were gone."

He winced at this and looked away. "Luc and Beccie… Are they…?"

"Fine… Their fourth birthday passed," she said, a sad smile appearing on her lips. "Tony threw them a huge party at the manor."

"Four…" His voice broke at this, his face crumpling into despair. "They're four…" His hands began to tremble as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "I missed two years… I missed two years of their lives!" He kneeled down, folding in on himself as the despair began to take over completely. "I missed watching them grow up… I left you alone… I – I-" He shook his head again. "He took me from you… How can you even stand to look at me-"

"Robert Bruce Banner, don't you dare," said Ana as she instantly moved toward him, kneeling down beside him and taking him in her arms. "Don't you _dare_ think that way. It wasn't your fault and it wasn't his. It's done and over with. We're together now. We're here together and we're going back home to our babies. They miss their daddy and want you home. Concentrate on that." She moved to cradle his face and forced him to look up at her. "I love you. You're mine. _Always._ Understand?"

"You…" He couldn't believe it. He could feel it. The deep love and devotion even after two years…

He leaned up and kissed her, his movements desperate. "You're too good to be real… Too sweet and too beautiful and… God, how… How did I get so lucky?" He kissed her again, this time pulling her close. "I love you. I won't ever let you go again… I can't… I-" He didn't finish as Ana had responded to his urgent kisses and caresses, their embrace tightening as the emotions overwhelmed both of them.

Ana was quick to wrap her arms around his neck as she tilted her head, deepening their kiss.  A soft whimper escaped her at the feel of his tongue caressing hers, at the familiar feel of his arms around her, and the tears slipped passed. It had been such a long journey to find him but she had never lost the faith that he was alive. She had never lost the hope that they would be together again and it had paid off. They were finally together…

He had broken apart from their kiss and pressed urgent openmouthed kisses against her neck, pushing her back onto the floor. It wasn’t an ideal spot but both were desperate for each other, desperate to feel each other both in body and mind. The clothing they had been gripping had been thrown to the side and the horrible dress she was wearing was pulled from her grip and off of her in one fell swoop. Her body was toned from the past year of training she had done, her stomach faintly muscled and her limbs firm. It was now more of an hourglass figure than Bruce remembered and he could feel his desire flaring at the sight of her. She was the most beautiful sight he could ever wake up to and he muttered this beneath his breath as he reached out to grasp her breasts. He gave them a squeeze as he licked and nipped at her neck, his arousal throbbing against the inside of her thigh as he situated himself between them.

“Bruce,” Ana said, her gentle cry of need could be heard in her soft voice as she arched her back, feeling a shock of pleasure as his fingers flicked and pinched her nipples.

“Ana,” he groaned in response as he trailed warm kisses from her neck and along her jawline. “Thought I lost you… The best thing to happen in my life…” He reached down to grip his hardness in one hand, the tip leaking from the desire and anticipation. He aligned himself, feeling the soft flesh of her thighs sliding further apart and he trembled in response. The tip of his hardness brushed against her wet slit and he let out a muttered curse, the thought of being joined with her once again nearly his undoing. He pulled his hand away and gave a firm thrust, sinking down into the familiar tight heat. He cursed again as he gripped Ana’s hip, hearing her soft sob as he started a rhythm of thrusting, slow at first and then steadily growing faster and faster. He held himself up above her, his hands now braced on either side of her head as he stared down at the woman he loved. He wanted to see her, he didn’t want to miss a single moment of seeing her beautiful face fall apart.

“Bruce,” Ana reached out and held onto his forearms, each thrust from him making her bounce, her breasts following the same rhythm. She was beginning to feel the tightness coil within her, her calves wrapping around his backside to allow him better access. “I-I l-love you,” she managed to say just before his next thrust hit sharp and deep within her. Her breath came in high pitched gasps that escalated to a fever pitch as she let out a sobbing scream, her body shaking from the force of her climax.

He groaned at the feel of her tightening around him, at the feel of the familiar gush of warmth that always followed her climax, at the feel of her emotional state through their link, and he leaned down to press his forehead against hers. “I… l-love you too Ana. A-always you,” he said before he gave one final thrust and fell apart, his hips grinding against hers in a broken movement as he spilled deep into her womb, each rocking motion causing a shaky moan to escape him…

Outside of the Quinjet, Thor felt a blush in his cheeks as he heard the unmistakable sounds of a married couple being reunited.

He really hoped they didn't take too long this time…


	119. The Sun's Going Down

_I have to have you_

_I've got it bad_

_I need to need you_

_So I can feel…_

**I Have to Have You** – Bleu

-o-

Chapter 119: The Sun's Going Down

"The sun's going down. It's getting really low. The sun's going down. It's getting real low…"

"Would you stop saying that!"

"I just need you to stay calm."

"Believe it or not, it's doing the _exact_ opposite right now, so shut up!"

The sound of laughter was the exact thing Bruce needed to hear at that moment and he glanced at his wife, his tension already beginning to ease. His hold on her hand had tightened and he pulled her closer, a soft breath easing past his lips as he leaned in to press a kiss against her curls. Despite the unbelievable craziness he was now in – winding his way through the streets and alleyways of a large city on an alien planet – the one good thing that Thor had done was bring the very thing that would keep him calm.

"C'mon _mon amour_ ," said Ana as she pulled Bruce toward an alleyway, squeezing his hand in a reassuring manner. "Let's sit down a moment, get away from this crowd."

He followed her without question, his soft brown eyes glancing down to look over his wife's form for what seemed like the umpteenth time. She was wearing her familiar dark Avengers outfit – which was a form fitting two-piece affair – and a pair of black boots she had managed to find. After their escapade in the Quinjet, Bruce was finding it a little difficult to concentrate on the situation at hand. He had been the Hulk for two years, was on an alien planet, and had no idea how they were supposed to get home. Yet, the only thing he could focus on right now was his wife's shapely backside.

He didn't know if it was his body trying to adjust from the change of being in a monster for two years or the fact that his link with his wife was alive once more, but the desire was flooding through him with every glance her way. It had gotten to the point that he had to discreetly adjust a certain extremity to keep from being obvious as they made their way through the city.

Thor, noticing the tension that held Bruce's form and mistaking it for stress, had been uttering the words from Natasha's lullaby in an effort to calm him down. It didn't help. Bruce was now feeling this unsatisfied desire for his wife mixing with the rising stress. The unintentional annoyance that Thor was bringing was because he was saying words from someone that Bruce _really_ didn't want a reminder of right now.

"Sit here," said Ana as she stopped in the doorway of a particular run-down building and sat down on the stoop, pulling Bruce down beside her. He sat down with little hesitation, moving close to her so that his side was touching hers. He let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist and pulled her up flush against him. He then leaned in to brush his lips against the curve of her ear, a soft groan escaping him at the feel of her own desire through their link.

"Is Cin awake?" he muttered against her ear, his hold around her tightening.

" _N-non,_ " said Ana as she tilted her head to the side, allowing Bruce better access to her neck. "Not yet. Call her… Erin… It might help…"

He chuckled, deep and low, as he brushed a kiss against her neck. "I remember… Erin… I always loved her real name… Ana and Erin…" He nipped the side of her neck none too gently, eliciting a soft gasp and moan from his wife.

"You two… We really need to keep moving and you need to calm down a little," said Thor, a strained look appearing on his face as he moved to plop himself down next to Bruce on the stoop.

A growl escaped Bruce as he looked at the god of thunder, his presence effectively ruining the moment. "The one thing that can calm me down is right here and you are doing a very good job at ruining it."

"I am sorry," said Thor, feeling a faint blush rising in his cheeks. "At least until we get out of here, I really need you to find… _another_ way to calm down." At Ana's giggle, Thor relaxed a little, seeing that she was not as stressed as her husband and finding the situation funny.

"Calm down? We're on an alien planet!"

Thor focused his gaze on Bruce, his smile growing a little. "It's just a planet. You've been on a planet before."

"Only two," said Bruce as he frowned, his hold on his wife easing just a little, not wanting to give Thor credit for that one. He had been on another planet before if you counted Asgard.

"Now you've been on three," said Thor, a slight chuckle escaping him as he gave a reassuring nod. "That's a good thing. It's a new experience."

Ana laughed again, not noticing the look that Bruce had thrown her before it melted into tender amusement.

He let out a groan as he reluctantly released his hold around Ana and buried his face in his hands. Now that the wonderful distraction that was attempting to seduce his wife was thwarted, his worries were coming back full force. "Oh my god," he said as he rubbed his face and shook his head. "My neurons are firing faster than my brain can handle the information. The whole thing was totally different this time." He pulled down his hands and looked at Ana, his face tense with the worry and fear that had been gripping him since he woke up. "In the past, I always felt like Hulk and I each had a hand on the wheel. But after everything that happened…" He didn't finish as his gaze flicked over Ana's face, seeing the understanding and sadness there. He shook his head as he ran his hands through his hair and looked away. "It was like he had the keys to the car and I was locked in the trunk!"

"All right well," said Thor as he reached out to slap a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "You're back now. That's all that matters."

"No, it's not what matters," said Bruce as he glanced at Thor, the disbelief clear on his face. "What I'm trying to say is that if I turn into the Hulk again, Banner may never come back! I've already lost two years of my life away from my family! I can't risk that again and we're stranded on a planet that is designed to stress me out!" He gestured wildly toward the entrance to the alley, pointing out the various beings and people that were strolling past.

"Bruce, look at me."

He heard her voice and the immediate calm followed suit, his rising stress levels finally easing just a bit. He turned his attention to his wife and focused on her deep brown eyes, seeing deep love and feeling it through their restored mate bond. It was just the thing he needed to relax him.

"You'll be fine," said Ana as she reached out to run her fingers through his short hair. A soft smile touched her as she cradled his face. "We're together again… We'll be fine as long as we're together."

He could feel the truth in her words.

Knowing that she was all right, seeing and feeling that she was alive and safe and back by his side again.

It made all the difference.

When Hulk had let him out, Bruce remembered that Hulk didn't put up a fight. He had just… let go.

All because Ana had been there…

He relaxed and moved over to press a gentle kiss against her lips. She had returned his kiss before she pulled away to brush a spot of dirt from his cheek. "And we're not stranded… As soon as Erin wakes up, we're conjuring a gateway off this rock."

A look of confusion pinched Bruce's features as he tilted his head to the side. "You mentioned that before. What does that mean?"

"It means my friend," interrupted Thor with a bright smile, the relieved hope in his blue eyes obvious as he leaned over to join the conversation. "That while you were gone, your wonderful wife and mate had gained a new set of skills that will help us get to Asgard."

"What?" Bruce frowned as he turned his attention to Thor, effectively delaying Ana in having to explain what new skills she had. "What do you mean get to Asgard? We have to get home to Earth."

"Listen," said Thor as he shifted on the stoop. "My people and Lady Erin's people are in great danger. We have to fight this really powerful being… who also happens to be my sister."

"Ok, that is so wrong on so many lev-" The look on Bruce's face was uncomfortable as he shook his head. "I don't wanna fight your sister. That's a – That's a family thing."

"No," Thor said with a shake of his head. "She's an evil being."

"I don't care what she is. I'm not fighting any more beings! I'm sick of it," he said as he held out his hand and waved it off to the side, looking as if he were sweeping the thought away. "Ana and I are going home to our twins. End of discussion."

"What?" Thor blinked before he looked at Ana, the hope that had been on his face fading a little. "I thought you would assist me, Lady Ana. My father said that -"

"We would help you and Erin and I will," said Ana as she nodded. "We gave your father our word. It was his last request and we will honor it."

The relief had immediately returned and a bright smile replaced the worry. "Good. That is good."

"Ana…" Bruce turned his attention to his wife, a frown of disbelief on his face. "Why-"

"Odin had shown me that you and Hulk were alive," said Ana as she focused her gaze on Bruce. "In order to find you, Erin and I promised him we would help Thor. You don't have to fight _mon amour_ but it would be a balm to my nerves to know you are there with me."

"If I can interject," said Thor, butting in once more. "I'm putting together a team. The Hulk would add to the fire of Lady Erin…"

"Wait," Bruce turned his attention to Thor, once again distracted as his frown grew deeper. "You're just using me to get to the Hulk."

"What? No!"

"That's gross," said Bruce as he turned away from Thor to prop his arms on his knees, sulking in a very adorable way. "You don't care about me. You're not my friend…"

"No!" said Thor as he straightened up, trying to keep Bruce's attention to the mission at hand. "I don't even like the Hulk! He's all like 'Smash, smash, smash…'" He emphasized this by punching the air slightly with his fists before he looked back at Bruce. "I – I prefer you." He pointed at Bruce, giving a firm nod.

"Thanks…" said Bruce as he eyed his friend with wariness.

Ana's laughter broke through the awkward tension between the two friends and Bruce glanced at his wife, sulking a little more though a slight twitch of his lips could be seen. "You're not helping, sweetheart…"

She bit down on her lower lip as she looked at him in response. A soft choking sound emerged from her throat before she started to laugh again. She moved over to wrap her arms around his right one in a tight hug, pulling him close to press a kiss against his cheek. "I missed you so much…"

The deep love he felt through their link had helped to ease the tension from Bruce's frame and a hesitant smile appeared. He sighed heavily and moved over to press a kiss against her forehead. "I missed you too…"

"As lovely as it is to see you two together again, we're in danger here," said Thor as he looked around before getting to his feet. "We have to move." He didn't pay the couple any mind as he looked around and noticed there were a pile of discarded fabric that looked as it had fallen from one of the upper stories. He moved toward it and started digging around in it.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Bruce when he and Ana had finally gotten to their feet.

"I need a disguise," said Thor as he threw a scrap of brown fabric over his head. "I'm a fugitive."

"We need a disguise," said Bruce as he looked at Ana before he looked down at his clothes. Though his pants were his own, he didn't have any spare shirts on the Quinjet so he had to wear some of Tony's clothes.

"You two are the disguise," said Thor, referencing the obvious fact that they were in their calm states and no one on this planet knew them.

"I'll be Tony Stark," said Bruce as he found a pair of spare sunglasses in the inside pocket of the jacket he was wearing and put them on. He looked at Thor before looking at Ana, giving her a smile as he saw that she was covering her hand over her mouth and smothering down her laughter at his antics.

"What?" asked Thor, not realizing that Ana was nearly in tears from the joy and laughter that was having her double over from trying to breathe.

"Yeah," said Bruce, turning his attention back to Thor. Seeing his wife beside herself with laughter had prompted him to keep going with whatever this was. "Tony and the gypsy."

"No, no, you're not Tony," said Thor, his attention focused on his friend. "You're Bruce. Bruce Banner."

"Then why did you dress me up like Tony?"

"Because you were naked."

"Ok, I'll give you that…"

A loud snort erupted from behind Bruce and they turned to find Ana had crumpled back down to the stoop. She could barely support herself as she laughed, the sound a choking gasp that meant she was laughing so hard she was trying to breathe. Bruce smiled at that, the sound of his wife's belly laugh well worth waking up to this entire craziness.

As he listened to her laugh, his soft brown gaze was quick to travel down over her form, noting her figure and how snug her outfit was. His smile dimmed a bit as he felt the sudden rush of desire taking on a more physical aspect and he quickly and discreetly reached down to adjust it…

"What are you doing? Stop doing that!"

A spark of annoyance hit Bruce as he glared up at Thor. "I kinda need to get this out of the way so sorry."

"Stop it," said Thor, a faint blush rising into his cheeks at having caught Bruce. "Why are you being so weird?"

"I don't know," said Bruce as he turned around to face the god of thunder, green patches appearing on his neck. "Maybe the fact that I was trapped inside of a monster for two years made me a little weird." His voice had grown deeper as a hint of the Other Guy started to shine through.

" _Mon amour_ , it's all right," said Ana, finally getting over her fit of laughter to get back to her feet. She took hold of Bruce's arm and pulled him into an embrace. "You're all right."

He immediately calmed down as he returned her embrace, burying his face into her curls. Ana had caught Thor's eye and gestured with her head toward the entrance of the alley for him to leave them.

Thor opened his mouth but Ana gave a quick shake of her head and mouthed, "We'll find you. Go."

The god of thunder frowned but heeded Ana's warning as he wrapped the brown fabric around his face and turned to head up the alleyway.

Once he was out of sight, Ana turned her attention back to her husband and whispered sweet words of love as she started moving deeper into the alley. "This way Bruce. Focus on me… It's all right…"

"Ana," he groaned as he followed her willingly, the desire he had been fighting since they left the jet now finally overtaking him. "I need you… Please…"

"I've got you," she said, her words coming out in a soft breath as she felt the rush of his desire for her through their link and her own desire rushed up in response. She found a little corner, hidden away from sight and piled high with debris but it was quiet and private. She turned around and pulled him close. "Come on, _mon amour_ , make me yours again…"

His responding growl to her request was deep and he moved quickly toward her, his lips already overtaking hers. He had pushed her back against the wall of the building their little alcove was in, lifting the tight shirt of her outfit. Her breasts fell free of the constricting material and Bruce had swooped down to take a taunt nipple into his mouth, his tongue swirling and licking over it. Ana let out a gasping moan as she struggled to unbutton his pants and get them down around his hips. Once that was done, her hand wrapped around his hardness to give it a firm stroke.

Bruce grunted in reply as his hips bucked in response, already aching and throbbing with need. He didn’t waist a moment as he pulled away from his wife and turned her around, pushing down at her back so she was bent over at the waist, her hands reaching out to brace against the wall. He reached down to grab the waist of her tight pants and pulled them down in one fluid motion. She was not wearing any underwear as there were none on the Quinjet. She was already wet and ready for him and Bruce let out a growl as he positioned himself behind her.

With one firm thrust forward, he was fully sheathed within her tight wetness and a grunt escaped him at the burst of familiar pleasure that emerged. He gripped her hips and started thrusting, sliding in and out of her in fast deep strokes. The sound of his hips slapping against the flesh of her backside was a familiar sound to the both of them and one that was sorely missed. There was no lovemaking here, just pure unadulterated passion.

He leaned forward, arching his back over hers as he reached around to grab her right breast, listening to her gasping moans with each deep thrust he gave. He tweeked and pinched a nipple, his breath growing heavy from the tightening coil of pleasure that was quickly building. He held onto her hip as he changed his angle, arching his back with a swooping stroke that had his member sliding in and out of her wet slit to hit at just the right spot. With each thrust, the tip of his hardness would stroke her deep and her gasping moans changed to a higher pitch breath of his name. Over and over she moaned his name, begging and pleading…

He left her breast and moved his hand down toward where they were joined, his nimble fingers finding their mark amongst her folds. With a few well practiced flicks against a sweet little button, Ana’s knees trembled and she came with a cry, her walls tightening around his hardness.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Bruce moaned as he held her hips in both hands and thrusted once, twice, three times before falling over the edge with his wife’s name tumbling from his lips. He threw his head back as he rocked against her, cumming deep within her tightness as his body twitched and trembled…

-o-

Thor was trying not to bang his head against the wall behind him as he lingered around the alleyway, hearing the familiar sounds behind him.

Those two were at it again…

By Odin's beard, how would they ever get off this blasted planet if they were too engrossed with each other?


	120. Feeling Warm

_I can't wait to face you_

_Break you down so low there's no place left to go_

_I can't wait to hate you…_

**H.A.T.E.U.** – Mariah Carey

-o-

Chapter 120: Feeling Warm

Feeling warm and safe and loved was a hell of a thing to wake up to.

As Erin slowly regained consciousness, she could sense that she was close to the clear mental wall between Ana and her. Her human was wide awake and she could feel the emotional cocktail of positive vibes just washing over her own mental state.

_‘Ana…?’_

The moment her thought had slipped through the clear wall toward her other self, she could feel Ana's emotional state explode with joy and relief.

_‘Erin!’_ Ana's consciousness was pressing urgently against the clear wall, her worry mixing in with her relief at Erin being awake. ‘ _Are you alright?_ Mon dieu, _I am_ so _happy I can feel you right now!’_

Erin's own joy had bubbled up at the worry and love she felt from her human and she pressed herself against the wall. Their separate consciousness remained pressed close together, taking in the sweet feeling of being aware at the same time. They had grown so used to being aware of one another over the past year, working together and leaning on one another, that it had been so strange for either of them to have been "apart" as they had these last many weeks.

_‘Me too.’_ Erin knew that if she were in control of their shared body, she would be smiling like a lunatic right now. ‘ _I missed you.’_

_‘I missed you too. So much has happened since you blacked out. Thor got us free and Bruce is-’_

"Ana, are you all right?"

The familiar timbre of Bruce's voice had broken through the internal conversation and Erin focused her attention away from the clear wall and on seeing through their shared eyes. She could see the familiar face of their wayward husband, the concern in his soft brown eyes as they flicked over her, and Erin's heart nearly exploded at the joy. She could feel him through their link, feel his love and concern, and it was the most wonderful thing.

Without thinking, Erin had slipped through the clear wall and took control. Ana's amusement could be felt as she willingly gave up the control, understanding her other self's happiness at that moment.

"Bruce!" Erin's voice was husky, a lower tone compared to Ana's soft one, and Bruce immediately recognized the difference.

"Cin… Erin?" he probed carefully, having seen the familiar flash of a yellow glow in Ana's deep brown eyes. The moment he was pulled into a tight embrace and a fierce kiss pressed against his lips, he knew it was his mate. He wrapped his arms around her as he chuckled against her kiss, pulling her close. Satisfied that Bruce was indeed back with them, Erin slipped back into her side of the wall, happy and content.

-o-

Ana's laugh was infectious as Erin gave back control of their shared body.

Bruce was smiling as he pulled away from his wife so they could go back to straightening out their clothes. After their therapeutic session, Bruce was feeling much better. _So_ much better. The desire, stress and worry that had been eating away at him had been calmed and soothed. "Well, I take it Erin's awake?"

"Just a little bit," said Ana in reply as she ran her hand through her curls in an effort to make it look less frazzled. "We've missed you… You can't blame us for being a little happy at finding you."

Bruce's smile had warmed at this, his love for his women and their love he felt in return was everything he had missed about their relationship. He reached out to take her hand, leaning forward to press a kiss against her forehead before he looked up the alleyway.

"We should go find Thor," he said, seeing that the number of people and beings walking by the entrance to the alley seemed thicker than it had been before.

Ana had followed his gaze, also noting the number of people had increased, and understanding her husband's concern. "C'mon, he shouldn't have gone far."

_‘Once we find him, we should work on conjuring a gateway,’_ said Erin as Ana pulled their husband by the hand up the alley and into the large crowd.

_‘If you feel up to it,’_ said Ana in turn, ‘ _but I think we need to get a better feel of where we are in the universe. We'll need to see the distance we have to do before we attempt it. I don't want to open a gateway in the middle of space.’_

They had turned a corner onto a different street when an explosion of green powder erupted in front of Ana. She coughed as she was momentarily blinded, the green powder sticking to her entire face and caking her hair. A snarl escaped her lips as she reached up to wipe the powder from her eyes.

"Ana, are you ok?" Bruce called out as they were swept up into an even larger crowd onto the streets of the city.

The crowds of people were having a party: All of them wearing clothing that was green or red or a mix of the two, carrying around various homemade homages of the Hulk's face and torches of fire, and they were chanting the name of the Hulk and the Red Lady as music blared out from what seemed like everywhere.

Ana was still coughing as she felt the crowd jostle them this way and that, her tight hold on Bruce's hand slipping.

"Ana!" Bruce had called as his grip on her hand was ripped away and he was swept off into the crowd.

She had finally managed to get the damn powder out of her eyes and she looked around, a hint of panic rising when she saw that Bruce was nowhere around her. "Bruce!" she called out over the chanting and cheering, her annoyance growing as she focused on her link to her husband and started following the pull.

The crowd had managed to whisk her husband to some open courtyard of a kind where the party seemed to be culminating. She pushed her way through the crowd none too gently, Erin's temper slipping over in her haste to get their man back. She could see Bruce off in the distance as he searched frantically through the crowd for her. Unfortunately, her short stature didn't help with this…

"Lady Ana!" She heard a familiar voice from behind her and she tilted her head in the direction of the voice though she did not look away from Bruce. She felt the strong grip on her upper arm and, now having been found by Thor, started to pull him in the direction of her husband.

"Lady Ana, where is Banner?" asked Thor.

"Over there in the crowd," said Ana as she gestured in the distance, seeing that the crowd had jostled her husband into a hunched form that was bending over something.

Bruce had slammed into the being and turned around to find the being had straightened up, turning to reveal it to be a rather ugly looking thing. It looked like a cross between an anthropomorphic turtle and something else. As it towered over Bruce, it started to growl.

Pulling her arm out of Thor's grasp, she quickly tapped on the tiny metal case in her left hand. The nanotech immediately emerged from the metal casing and encased her left hand into the familiar dark gauntlet. With a flash of a yellow-orange glow around the arc reactor, Ana had lifted her left hand and made a circular gesture with her right.

A sizzling sound emerged from under the being's feet, a spiral of reddish-orange sparks emerging before it opened up. The being fell with a howl of surprise into the gateway, disappearing from sight as it closed after him. Off in the distance, outside the city limits, the gateway had opened up above a large pile of rotting garbage and the being fell head first into the carcass of some large creature with a nasty _squelch…_

"What the hell…" Bruce stared down at the spot where the being had been, caught off guard by the sight of some portal opening up from nowhere.

"Banner!" cried Thor as he came upon the good doctor and stopped beside him, reaching out to slap a hand on his shoulder. Having seen the little trick that Ana had just done, his hope had risen at them getting out of this place, and his smile was exuberant. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah," said Bruce as he kept his gaze on the spot where the being had just been. He nodded in a flustered way as he pointed at the ground. "D-did you see that? One moment, that thing was there and then the next-"

"Your mate's doing," said Thor, his excitement clear as he looked behind him to see Ana moving toward them.

"Ana?" Bruce looked at his wife, confused awe coloring his voice. "You did that?"

She nodded in a distracted way as she reached him, looking him over to make sure he was all right.

"How did you do that?" Bruce was beyond confused and awed at what he had just seen. "How were you able to open up a – a portal? Where did you send that thing?"

"It's a long story… I sent him outside of the city, he's fine," she said as she reached up to run her fingers through his hair. "I'll tell you what happened while you were gone but first we have to get away from this crowd, _mon amour._ "

"B-but you… opened up a small wormhole…" he said, his gob smacked expression rather funny. “You opened up a hole in midair! You connected two different points in location and time as a means of transportation! Th-that's incredible!"

"Hi," said Thor, his voice breaking through Bruce's stammering as he focused his gaze on someone who was standing across the way. "What are you doing here?"

Ana, grateful for the interruption, had focused her gaze to where Thor was looking and found a female Asgardian standing there. She was a beautiful woman with an olive complexion, long straight dark hair that was pulled back into a top knot and pony tail and white stripes painted about her dark eyes. There was something familiar about this woman and Erin confirmed Ana's suspicion.

_‘She is the Valkyrie, don't know her real name. She was there with us at the Grandmaster's palace while you and Bruce were out.’_

"What are _you_ doing here?" asked Valkyrie in turn, her gaze traveling from Thor and glancing curiously at Ana and Bruce. "I thought you were leaving."

"We got sidetracked," said Thor as he moved in front of the couple in a not-so-subtle gesture to keep Valkyrie's attention on him.

"What's with the…?" Valkyrie gestured to the brown fabric that was draped over his head.

"It's my disguise," said Thor, a charming smile touching his lips.

"But I can see your face…"

"Not when I do this, you can't," Thor said as he moved the scrap of fabric across to hide the lower half of his face.

A choking sound emerged from Ana's throat and she quickly stifled the laughter down, turning around to hide her face against Bruce's shoulder. Bruce, who was still dumbfounded over what his wife had done, had simply wrapped an arm around her as he looked at the other woman. There was something about her that niggled in the back of his mind…

"Your hair looks nice," said Thor, having heard the stifled laughter from his friend and grinning wide. He rather enjoyed this side of Ana, it was a complete one eighty from how she was when their journey had started. "I like what you did with it. Change it? Washed it, maybe?"

A snort and a giggle this time from Ana and a light shushing sound from Bruce followed by, "What's the matter? Why are you laughing so much? Did that powder do something to you?"

Another snort of laughter and a soft _"N-non, mon amour_ , just happy."

Valkyrie's eyes couldn't help but be drawn once more to the couple and her gaze had focused on Ana, noting the familiar crimson veins visible in her neck. A muscle ticked in her jaw as she recognized the Lyttan woman, which meant…

Her gaze flicked to the unassuming male the Lyttan was buried against, the pieces coming together.

Her resolve growing, she turned around as she caught Thor's gaze and gestured with her head to follow…

-o-

"What are those things on her eyes? Are those people she's killed?"

"Bruce, stop asking so many questions about her..."

"Aha… Y-yeah… Sorry sweetheart, didn't mean anything by it. I just feel like I know her…"

"Quit while you're ahead, _mon amour,_ " the husky voice that spoke had quickly silenced the good doctor.

Valkyrie couldn't help the amused smile as she lead the group into an apartment building that was decked out in green and white coloring. The sound of the other occupants in the other apartments could be heard as they made their way down a series of hallways and up two flights of stairs and down another hallway. When Valkyrie had finally come to a stop in front of her apartment door, she turned around to face them, her gaze focused on Thor.

"Look, I've spent years in a haze, trying to forget my past. Sakaar seemed like the best place to drink and forget and to one day _die_."

"Well," said Thor as he pulled the brown fabric down from his head and gave it to Ana, who had taken it to wipe the green residue from her face. "I was thinking that you drink too much… Probably was gonna kill you."

"I don't plan to stop drinking," said Valkyrie as she frowned at Thor.

"O-oh…"

"But I don't wanna forget," she continued, heaving a sigh. "I can't turn away anymore… So, if I'm gonna die… Well, it may as well be driving my sword through the heart of that murderous hag."

"Good," said Thor, his smile growing bright at her optimism.

"So… I'm saying that I wanna be on the team," said Valkyrie, wondering just what Thor's plan was. "Has it got a name?"

"It's…" Thor hesitated as he glanced at Ana and Bruce before looking back at her. "Yeah, it's called the… Revengers."

"Revengers?" she asked, her tone one of disbelief. Her attention was distracted by the sound of a delightful giggle coming from the other woman in the group. A spark of something erupted in the pit of her stomach, her face softening at the sound of the laughter.

"Because I'm getting revenge," continued Thor, who was smiling at the laughter coming from Ana. "And you're getting revenge…" He pointed to Valkyrie before he looked at the couple beside him. "And you two…? Do you… What do you…?" He hesitated, knowing that Ana's sole purpose for helping was to find her husband, not really for revenge. His gaze settled on Bruce. "You want revenge?"

"I'm – um- I'm undecided," said Bruce, who had been distracted by the very interesting look that Valkyrie had given his wife while she had been laughing. It had been a very sultry look… Bruce had to focus his gaze on Thor, a deep flush rising in his cheeks at the thought of this Asgardian being attracted to his wife…

That was…

It was…

He swallowed against the tightness in his throat, finding the thought to be a little _too_ inviting.

"Also," said Valkyrie as she reluctantly pulled her attention away from Ana and smiled at Thor. "I've got a peace offering!" Her voice was a little sing song, the sound of it causing Ana to giggle again…

"Ana, are you sure that powder didn't make you loopy?"

"I don't think so?" Ana said, still laughing as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, don't pay me any mind."

Valkyrie had to stifle down a few choice thoughts that were coming up from the sound of Ana's laughter. She was finding the sound to be quite enticing… Memories of her Lyttan side with her mate had rushed up and Valkyrie had to quickly turn to the door to avoid being obvious in her blush. She inputted the security code to the door and it slid up and out of sight, revealing a spacious if very cluttered apartment inside.

Sitting in a corner by a large window, a familiar form was chained up.

"Surprise," said Loki, looking resigned to the situation at hand.

A loud snarl had emerged from behind Valkyrie and she turned around just in time to see Ana growling, her eyes nothing more then glowing yellow orbs.

" _YOU!"_


	121. Wait, Hold On

_I love you, you love me_

_But we must be sure_

_We may be the best of friends_

_But in the end_

_It's true love that wins…_

**Be Sure** – Karen Clark Sheard

-o-

Chapter 121: Wait, Hold On

"Wait, hold on," said Thor as he quickly moved ahead of the group – effectively blocking Ana from moving any further – and into the apartment. He grabbed an empty can from a cluttered table nearby and flung it hard at Loki. The can bounced off of Loki's head and an annoyed frowned twitched on the god of mischief's face.

"Ow…"

Thor gave a nod as he turned around and looked at the others – still blocking the doorway – as his gaze focused on Ana. "Just had to be sure. All right Ana, continue."

The yellow glow faded from Ana's eyes as she stared at Thor, caught off guard by his random action, but it had done its job in distracting her. Erin's anger was still bubbling under the surface but Ana was managing to rein it in. Bruce, not knowing what the tension was about but seeing that his wife was about to lose it, wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her in close beside him and pressed a warm kiss against her cheek. She took in a breath to relax, now was not the time to lose her cool although she had every right to.

"Keep him _far_ away from me, understand?" said Ana as she glared up at Thor, Erin's anger still clear. "I can't promise Erin won't tear him apart if given the chance and right now we have more important things to focus on."

Thor frowned lightly at this, his gaze flicking between hers, before understanding dawned and he turned his attention to his brother, who was staring at the ceiling. He had turned a slightly paler shade of his normal hue.

"You have my word Ana," said Thor through gritted teeth, his own anger rising at the confirmation of his suspicions.

Valkyrie, catching on to what Ana and Thor were talking about, frowned at the god of mischief but didn't say anything. She was in no position to even have an opinion on the matter since she had done the very same thing many times over the years. However, the Lyttan had been the first in a long time to be collared as a result and _that_ was something she didn't like.

Deciding that mum's the word in a case like this, Valkyrie made her way into the apartment and headed deeper inside. Thor, giving one last glare at Loki, followed her inside and took a moment to see the cluttered mess that belonged to Valkyrie.

Ana slowly made her way into the apartment, her gaze darting around the living area and toward what looked like a kitchen area. Bruce trailed in after, his gaze lingering on his wife's backside while a look of longing appeared. He swallowed, reaching down to tug at the crotch of his pants and adjust himself. He was seriously having a problem…

"Hello Bruce," said Loki, whose gaze was focused on the good doctor, his expression one of nonchalance despite being chained up.

Bruce, reluctantly dragging his gaze away from his wife, who had made her way over to the kitchen, focused on Loki. "So… Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everybody. Where are you at these days?"

"It varies from moment to moment," said Loki, his expression changing to something a little more bitter.

Bruce frowned a little, unsure of what to make of that comment, before deciding it was best to leave it and him alone. He turned and went off to the kitchen area, where he found Ana was poking through what appeared to be food. His stomach gave an immense growl in response and he quickened his steps, the thought of a potential meal overriding his usually cautious nature.

"Is that a Dragon Fang?" asked Thor, who was watching Valkyrie as she walked back into the living area with what appeared to be a sword wrapped up in blue cloth.

"It is," she said as she set it down on a cluttered table before moving off toward the kitchen, her gaze shamelessly focused on Ana's backside as the other woman ate what looked like a piece of bread.

"My god," said Thor, not noticing that Valkyrie seemed distracted. He made a beeline for the table and reached out to grab hold of the scabbard. He pulled out the sword – revealing it to be a short sword with a silver blade that flashed in the light of the room – and held it out. "This is the famed sword of the Valkyrie." He held the blade higher, studying the craftsmanship of the blade and the beautiful design of the handle and pommel.

"So," Valkyrie began, her gaze focused on the couple – who were currently eating her food and also becoming distracted by each other again – before she bit her lower lip in longing and looked at Thor. "Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as any two known systems." She walked over to the living area, hearing the soft moan behind her and she bit back a curse at the sound of it. "Our… best bet is a wormhole outside of city limits. Refuel on Xandar and we can be back in Asgard in… 18 months." Her tone was questioning, meaning the time the trip would take would vary.

"Nope," said Thor as he focused his gaze from the sword to its owner. "Ana has been training under a Midgardian sorcerer. She can conjure a gateway straight into Asgard."

Ana, who had been giggling as Bruce nibbled at her neck, had paused at the sound of her name, her attention caught.

"Midgard still has sorcerers?" asked Valkyrie, her brows rising at the news. "Well, that's a surprise… No matter, even if she is capable of conjuring a gateway, she wouldn't be able to connect straight into Asgard."

Thor frowned at this as he turned to focus his attention on the woman. "What do you mean?"

Valkyrie stared at the god of thunder, her confusion a little clear. "Asgard's defenses. No being is capable of conjuring a gateway straight into Asgard. If they could, Asgard would be overrun with enemies. That is why the only quick way in or out of Asgard is through the bi-frost if not on a ship. It's the most basic knowledge of Asgardian history; didn't you pay attention to your lessons as a child?"

A faint blush of embarrassment rose in Thor's cheeks at this, his silence being answer enough that no, he didn't pay much attention to his lessons as a child. A soft chuckle from by the window gave credence to that.

" _Merde,_ " Ana muttered, pulling completely away from Bruce – much to his disappointment based on his frown – and made her way over to the Asgardians. "Well, this puts a wrench in our plans for a quick escape…" She glanced between the two. "So, Valkyrie's original idea of a wormhole would be our best bet." The expression on Valkyrie's face on being given a name was hard to describe – sort of a cross between confusion and affection.

Thor gave a nod at that and turned his attention to the large window, it had a spectacular view of the sky and its many wormholes. Yet, the most impressive sight was of the largest one off in the distance – a swirling mass of pinkish – orange light surrounded by swirling clouds. When he had looked through Heimdall's eyes and spoken with him, his old friend had mentioned the biggest doorway would be the answer to getting to Asgard. "In that case, we'll need to go through the big one."

"The Devil's Anus?" asked Valkyrie, her attention being caught as she looked at Thor incredulously.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Bruce as he finished making what could be called a sandwich and took a bite from it. "Whose anus?"

"For the record, I didn't know it was called that when I picked it," said Thor, wondering who it was that named it such a thing.

"That looks like a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge," said Bruce as he swallowed his bite, making his way over to the others as he pointed out to the large wormhole. He stopped beside Ana and held out the sandwich to her, his gaze focused on Thor. She took a bite of the sandwich with a soft giggle.

"We need another ship," said Valkyrie, a strained look appearing on her face. "That one will tear mine to pieces." She finished this by reaching out to the couch that was nearby and snagging a half empty bottle of alcohol. She walked away from the group to head to the kitchen.

"She's right," said Thor as he focused his gaze out the window. "We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity."

"And has an offline power steering system that could also function without the onboard computer," said Bruce, his expression one of genuine and pleasant surprise as he looked up at Thor, setting down the sandwich on a small table that was placed haphazardly in front of the couch.

"And we need one with cup holders," said Valkyrie as she stopped beside Ana and took her hand, placing a cup in it. "Because we're gonna die… So, drinks!" She smiled at Ana and, noticing the slight wrinkle of distaste on her face, laughed a little. "Don't worry, it's just water." She then leaned in close to Ana's ear, her breath tickling her curls, as she whispered. "And my name is Brunnhilde… Red Lady." The blush in Ana's cheeks was faint at the intimate whisper and she heard Valkyrie's gentle laugh as she pulled away.

"Do I know you?" asked Bruce, his attention having been fully caught by the sight of the Asgardian whispering something into his wife's ear. The look that had been on Valkyrie's face had been very intimate and his thoughts had gone straight into the gutter. Never mind the fact that the Asgardian kept niggling on something in the back of his mind. "I feel like I know you."

"Hmm," said Valkyrie as she gave a smile but didn't respond, instead taking a swig of her bottle.

"What do you say?" said Thor, his gaze focused on Bruce and completely oblivious to the sexual tension that was going on. "Uncharted metagalatic travel through a volatile cosmic gateway?" He smiled, his blue eyes growing bright as he held out his fist for a bump. "Talk about an adventure."

The breath came out of Bruce in one long _whoosh_ as he turned to face his friend, giving a nod. The good doctor, being his usual goofy self, reached out to slap an open palm against Thor's fist and gripped it. "We need a ship."

"Need a ship," said Thor in agreement.

"There are one or two ships," said Valkyrie as she kept close to Ana, nonchalantly bumping a hip against hers in a not-so-subtle manner of flirting. The blush on Ana's face had grown deeper. "Absolute top of the line models…"

"I don't mean to impose…" said a silky voice that immediately set the two women on edge.

Loki barely managed to duck his head in time as a glass bottle went sailing his way and shattered against the wall behind him. It was followed by a fiery blade of energy that nearly nicked his cheek, imbedding itself into the wall before sizzling out of existence. Loki swallowed as he focused his gaze on the Red Lady, seeing the pure anger and heat that radiated off of her. Another fiery blade she had conjured was in her hand, dripping sparks as she glared at him.

"E-easy there sweetheart," said Bruce as he stared at the fiery blade with shock, carefully moving over to wrap an arm around her. "Let's – let's put the magic blade away for now." Despite his lack of comment on the earlier conversation, he had been listening to Thor and Valkyrie's mention of sorcerers on Midgard. Midgard of course being Earth. He was a man of science with seven PHDs to his name and his doubts over anything mystical and magical had been strong. Yet, with everything he had been through in his life, especially seeing what he was seeing now, it was hard to dispute their choice of words. Seeing his wife this way really wasn't helping his current situation with remaining focused.

Ana had managed to take in a deep and calming breath, the blade sizzling out of existence as she leaned into Bruce's embrace. She continued to glare at the god of mischief with undisguised hatred.

Seeing that the Red Lady had been somewhat calmed, Loki tentatively straightened up as best as he could in his chains. "The… uh, Grandmaster has a great many ships," he said, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. "I may even have stolen the access codes to his security system."

"And suddenly you're overcome with an urge to do the right thing," said Valkyrie, her hands placed firmly over her hips.

"Heaven's no," said Loki, scoffing at the very thought. "I've run out of favor with the Grandmaster. In exchange for codes and access to a ship, I'm asking for safe passage… through the Anus."

A choking sound could be heard and all eyes turned to Ana, whose anger had faded as quickly as it had come. She was holding back her laugh and, seeing all eyes focused on her, she gave a cheeky smile. "What? Imagine if he batted for the home team while saying that..."

"Oh geez, Ana…" said Bruce, being the only one who got her reference and a laugh burst out of him without meaning to.

Valkyrie had stared at the couple, thinking over the words, and understanding dawned across her features. "Oh! That's a good one," she said and started laughing as well.

The only ones not laughing were Thor, who was staring at the three of them in confusion, and Loki, who was glaring at them in distaste.

"So, you're telling us," began Thor, focusing his gaze back on his brother, "that you can get us access into the garage without setting off any alarms?"

"Yes brother, I can."

"Ok, can I just…" said Bruce, pulling reluctantly away from his wife and gesturing to the other two with a slight whistle to huddle closer. The moment they were grouped together, he lowered his voice in an effort to not be heard. "A quick FYI, I was just talking to him earlier and he was totally ready to kill any of us."

"He did try to kill me," said Valkyrie in agreement.

"Almost did with me," said Ana, a flash of a yellow glow in her eyes as she glared at Loki.

"What?" Bruce looked at his wife, having caught that bit of info and frowning slightly. "When?"

"Yes, he tried to with me as well," said Thor, diverting the topic. "On many, _many_ occasions." He leaned in closer as he glanced at Loki before looking at them. "There was this one time when we were children, he… he transformed himself into a snake and he knows I loves snakes. So, I went to pick up the snake to admire it and he transformed himself back and he was like 'Myeh! It's me!' and he stabbed me. We were… eight at the time."

They all glanced at Loki, who was looking as if he were trying to hold back a smirk.

"If we're boosting a ship, we're gonna need to draw some guards away from the palace," said Valkyrie.

"Why not set the beasts loose?" Loki said, his smirk growing.

"Shut up," said Thor, glaring at his brother.

"That won't work," said Valkyrie, not noticing the look of surprise on the others' faces. "We need a good distraction, something that can keep the guards busy but won't make a mess of things so we can sneak in…"

"Why don't we start a revolution?" asked Thor, looking at Valkyrie as the idea took hold.

"That might work," Valkyrie said with a reluctant nod, understanding what Thor was getting at.

"Revolution?" asked Bruce, confused by that question.

Thor smiled as he looked at his friend. "I'll explain later…"

"Red Lady, would you be able to conjure a gateway into a place you've never been?" asked Valkyrie, turning her attention to Ana, who had been listening to the others in silence.

She straightened up in surprise at being addressed and focused her gaze on the Asgardian. She thought over the other woman's request, absently biting her lower lip as she did so. "I don't see why not… I would need a good description of what this place is so I can have a clear mental picture before attempting it though."

"Thor and I can help you with that," said Valkyrie.

"It seems we have the beginning of a plan," said Thor, a bright smile appearing on his bearded face.

"Do… uh… Do we have a little time?" asked Bruce, looking at the others before he focused his gaze on his wife. Now that he was no longer as hungry as he had been, his focus was now entirely on his wife's form and it was not helping him stay to the matter at hand.

"We will need time to get the details of the plan straightened out," said Valkyrie, seeing the good doctor's attention was now thoroughly distracted by his wife. She laughed as she reached out to point toward the kitchen. "Bedroom is further back."

"What?" said Ana in confusion before she was suddenly being tugged away from the others by Bruce. She stumbled after him as he pulled her deeper into the apartment. "Bruce?"

They disappeared into the bedroom and it wasn't long before the sound of something slamming against the closed door could be heard.

Valkyrie laughed, a deep husky sound that was rich with amusement. "Oh, those two are hilarious… They'll be busy awhile. Thor, want a drink?" she asked brightly as Thor let out a groan and moved to sit down on the couch.

"Why not? As you said, we need to get the details straightened out…"

They ignored the sounds coming from the bedroom and Loki, who was looking particularly uncomfortable.


	122. Feeling Better

_Try to keep my balance_

_But I still fall_

_But how'd I fall so hard…_

**Promise** \- Romeo Santos

-o-

Chapter 122: Feeling Better

"Feeling better?" Thor asked as he watched Bruce and Ana make their way back into the living area of the apartment.

Bruce had a tight hold on his wife's hand and was indeed looking much better than he had the hour previously. If the relaxed smile on his face was anything to go by. Ana, on the other hand, was looking slightly dazed on her feet, her legs even had a slight tremor to them and she was leaning against her husband for support. Valkyrie was grinning as she watched the two of them, trying so very hard not to laugh.

"Good," said Thor, not giving them a chance to answer as he got to his feet. "We should be heading out. We have the plan all set." He focused his gaze on Ana. "Lady Ana, you and Banner will go with Valkyrie to the holding cells for the fighters. A friend of mine named Korg is there, he'll need help to start the revolution. While you are there, Loki and I will be sneaking into the garage to get one of the Grandmaster's best ships. What was it called again?" He looked at Valkyrie in question.

"The Commodore," she said in reply, glancing at the god of thunder. "It has the best shields of all of his ships. We'll need it if we're going to be flying through all that debris to get to the Anus. Once you get the ship, we'll more than likely run into some opposition so we'll meet with you along the way."

"All right," said Bruce as he looked at his wife, who was still looking a little unfocused. "Sounds like a plan…"

Ana blinked and looked at the others, finally coming to herself as she took in a breath to relax. " _Oui_ , it should work…" She took in another breath as she glanced at Bruce. "So… When do we head out?"

-o-

The plan had worked well.

While Thor and Loki had headed off to the Grandmaster's palace, Valkyrie had taken Bruce and Ana in her ship and headed over to the coliseum where the holding cells were. The Asgardian woman had knocked out the power source to the matrix of the prisoner's enslaving discs before they headed toward cells. With Ana and Erin back in sync, they had conjured a gateway directly into the holding cells and located one rock being by the name of Korg.

When Valkyrie had called out to the Kronan in question, asking if he was Korg, the rock being had an unintentionally adorable quality about him.

"Who's asking? I know you're asking but was there anyone else?"

Ana, who had been standing behind Valkyrie and maintaining the gateway, let out a huff of laughter.

Korg focused his gaze on the other woman and a sparkle of recognition appeared in his eyes. "Oh! You're the Red Lady. Glad to see you aren't a mindless, raging monster anymore."

Ana didn't respond to that comment but a lick of Erin's anger at those words had spilled over, her smile disappearing.

Valkyrie, seeing that her companion's temper was on a tight leash, quickly tossed Korg the rifle she had been holding. "The Lord of Thunder sends his regards."

Korg caught the rifle, staring at it a moment, before he cocked it back. "The revolution has begun."

-o-

It didn't take long for the escaped fighters to start causing a ruckus. Soon the majority of the Grandmaster's soldiers were heading over to the holding cells to try to contain the revolution. While all of this was going on, Thor and Loki were making good on their end and sneaking into the garage that held the Grandmaster's fleet of ships.

Now, it was just a waiting game for the others.

The moment that they would take the ship, they would be racing toward the Devil's Anus and heading off this garbage rock. Ana could say she couldn't be happier at the prospect. Sure, they would be heading to Asgard to fight Thor's evil sister but it meant they were one step closer to finally heading home.

To finally head home with her missing husband in tow, the very thought of it brought such a smile to her face. She couldn't wait to see the looks on Beccie and Luc's faces when they finally saw their father again…

"We'll be home soon," she heard Bruce say in her ear - as if reading her thoughts – and his hold tightened around her waist. They were sitting in one of the seats in Valkyrie's ship and Bruce had been adamant on keeping his wife on his lap. It was an impractical way of sitting but Ana was not going to deny her husband or herself the comfort of being close together. They had spent two years apart after all. Propriety could go to hell for all she cared.

"Once this is all over, we'll finally be home," he said as he nuzzled her neck and took in a breath. "I can't believe I've been gone for so long…" He pulled away from her and looked at her, his soft brown eyes studying her face as if committing it to memory. He took a moment to swallow, looking conflicted about something.

"Bruce, what is it?" asked Ana, shifting slightly in his lap to study him.

"Do you…" He paused and swallowed again before he continued. "Do you think you'd be able to share any memories? Of Luc and Beccie? I… I want to see them, what I missed… If it's too much, you don't have to but… I thought until we get home it – I…" He broke off, not knowing what else to say and trying hard not to break down in front of the Asgardian woman who was sitting in the pilot seat and doing her best in giving some semblance of privacy.

At the hesitant way in which he asked, Ana could feel her heart nearly breaking. She turned around in his lap until she was straddling him and she leaned forward to press a warm kiss against his brow. Without a word, she reached out toward the back of his neck and clasped her hands securely. "You don't need to ask, _mon amour_ ," she said, her voice shaking from the effort to keep from crying from the heartbreak she felt from him.

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, a gentle red glow emerging from her hands. They both closed their eyes as the happy memories Ana shared with her husband began to flow…

_A two and a half year old Luc was giggling as he ran down a hallway, his little nude butt for the entire world to see, while Betty chased after him. "Luc! Get back here right now! You need a bath!"_

_Beccie, at the same age, throwing her dinner at Ana and giggling at the sight of mashed potatoes now dripping from her mother's face..._

_"We need to pee pee in the potty, Luc," said Ana as she kneeled beside a little potty chair, her deep brown eyes watching her son with love. The little boy let out huff and shook his little head, not wanting to use the big boy potty…_

_Luc and Beccie were sleeping peacefully while Ana leaned over them, singing softly into the darkness as she reached out to brush their dark brown curls…_

The memories went on this way, Ana showing Bruce all the moments that Luc and Beccie had, each milestone, each crying fit, each joyful laugh, each moment when their enhanced abilities would show...

She could feel him trembling beneath her as his hold around her tightened. The tears were streaming down his cheeks and there was a slight hitch in his breath as the shared memories played.

The final memory that played was the one that set it all into perspective for Bruce. It was of a familiar bench beside a lily pond with a fountain in the middle of it, a secluded garden that Bruce hadn't seen in so long. It had always been one of his favorite places…

_"Mama, are you going to find Daddy?" Four year old Beccie asked, her wide brown eyes studying her mother with a wisdom that seemed far beyond her years._

_Ana looked down at her daughter and a sad smile appeared on her lips. "I am," she said. "He's somewhere very far away and he can't find his way back to us. If I can find him, I can bring him home."_

_"You have to leave us again," said Luc, a tiny frown appearing on his young face. "You'll be gone a long time, won't you?"_

_Ana hesitated as she looked at Luc before she gave a nod. "To find your Daddy, yes…" She took in a breath as she looked between the twins. "But… if you don't want me to leave, I won't. I love you my sunshines… I won't ever leave you if you don't want me to."_

_The twins were silent as they stared up at Ana, their gazes studying her, before they looked at each other._

_"Go find Daddy," said Luc as he looked at his mother._

_"We miss him too, Mama," said Beccie as she reached out to take her brother's hand. "Bring Daddy home…"_

_Ana glanced down at them before she pulled them closer and placed a warm kiss on their cheeks. "I promise you, my sunshines… I will find Daddy and we'll come back to you both."_

A shaky sigh escaped Bruce as the last of the memory faded and he held his wife tighter, pressing a kiss against her lips. "I am so sorry," he murmured against her lips. "I'm sorry I left you all alone…"

Ana shook her head as she moved closer against him. "No more apologies Bruce… Let's just go home to them."

Bruce gave a nod as he pressed another kiss to her lips. "We'll take care of this mess and then we're heading home. Nothing will tear me from you this time… I won't let it. You promised them and now I'll promise you. We're going back to them."

Ana gave a tearful smile as she dropped her hands from his neck and gripped the front of his shirt. She tucked herself into his arms, her body curling in as she felt the weight of everything from the last two years come back. All those days and nights she had been without Bruce and now she finally, _finally,_ got him back. It was too much…

Bruce didn't say a word as he held her close, pressing a warm kiss against her curls as he listened to her sob.

It had been a long journey but they were close.

A few more steps in the right direction and they would be home…

They just had one more fight and then they'd be free.


	123. Loyal Sakaarians

_Now pack your bags_

_The party's such a drag_

_And everyone can tell that you're poisoning the well…_

**Devil** \- Shinedown

-o-

Chapter 123: Loyal Sakaarians

"Loyal Sakaarians! The Lord of Thunder has stolen my ship, my favorite champion _and_ executioner! Sakaarians, take to the skies. Bring him down! Do not let him leave this planet."

The announcement was blaring from all places in the city, the nearest hologram of the Grandmaster flickering in static. The moment the announcement could be heard, Valkyrie had given a pleased smile as she straightened up in her seat. "It's starting!"

Her ship took off from the hiding place behind one of the tall buildings that were near the palace. Speeding past them with several blocky ships in pursuit, was a sleek ship in a red and gold design that Tony Stark would have appreciated. The ships that were in pursuit of it were firing off energy rounds that bounced off the ship's golden shields, indicating it to be the ship that Thor must have liberated.

Valkyrie was already on their tail, her ship easily keeping up with them while she maneuvered past tall buildings and traffic of other flying vehicles. Ana was clinging to Bruce while he clung to his chair, trying to keep from being thrown from their seat. Valkyrie was concentrating on piloting her ship and was shooting down a ship that was on the Commodore's tail.

"Good shot!" said Bruce with a smile, holding his wife down on his lap as the ship made a sharp jerk to the right.

"Thanks!" said Valkyrie, her own smile bright as she glanced back at the couple, making sure that they were still in their seat, before focused her gaze back on the Commodore. She followed the ship, bypassing more traffic, as they made their way toward the edge of the city. The other ships were still in hot pursuit.

Valkyrie reached out to flick a switch on her console, opening up the comm line to Thor's ship. "Open the doors!"

There was a crackle followed by the sound of Thor's familiar voice coming from the comm unit. "Ok!"

She maneuvered her ship under the Commodore's, the sides of the sleek ship opening up. She flicked another switch on her console and the hatch to her own ship slid back. The roar of the speeding wind filled the cockpit and she glanced back the couple, her dark hair whipping in the wind. "I know you two are tougher than you look," she said in a loud voice, her words being heard above the din. "Red Lady, you have better reflexes, make sure your mate doesn't lose hold."

Ana, having glanced up and seen the Commodore above them with the side doors wide open, had caught on to the other woman's plan. She glanced at her and gave a firm nod in understanding, wrapping her arms tightly around Bruce's torso. Valkyrie smiled at her before she reached to another switch on her console.

"What? Why?" asked Bruce, not realizing what was going on. A split second later, the seat they were in ejected them out of the cockpit and right into the ship above them. The force of the ejection was a tad strong and Bruce got the brunt of the impact as they slammed against the ceiling of the ship. They fell down to the floor, Ana catching the brunt of Bruce's weight and she let out a groan at that impact. She reached out to floor, her crimson veined hands glowing with heat as her fingers dug into the metal. Her right arm snagged from the force of holding Bruce, who had almost gone over the side of the other open door.

With some heaving and pulling, Ana had pulled him up next to her and let out a breath. "Bruce, what have you been eating these last two years?"

"Hey," said Bruce, glancing at Ana as they managed to get to their feet and stumble their way toward the cockpit.

Ana flashed him a cheeky smile and a wink before she moved to slip into the seat beside the pilot's seat, which Thor was currently occupying. Bruce came to a stop behind the god of thunder as he gripped the pilot's seat, his gaze focused on the scenery speeding past them. The sound of explosions and the shuddering of their ship meant they were still being pursued, if the warnings that were blaring when each shot hit the shields weren't stating the obvious.

"Shouldn't we be shooting back or something?" asked Bruce, jerking to his left after another round slammed against their shields.

"Yes, we should," said Thor as he looked around his console, flicking switches and pressing buttons but nothing that resembled artillery could be found. "Where are the guns on this ship?"

"There aren't any," came Valkyrie's voice from the comm line, the console lighting up with a little blue hologram of her ship. "It's a leisure vessel."

"What?" Bruce asked, his tone of voice disbelieving.

"Grandmaster uses it for his good times," she said. "Orgies and stuff."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the occupants of the cockpit glanced around at the console, the seats, and the floor before looking at each other.

"Did she just say the Grandmaster uses it for orgies?" asked Bruce, not wanting to believe he heard right.

"Yeah," said Thor, an uncomfortable look crossing his features.

"Don't… touch anything," said Ana, her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought of it. "Just… ugh…"

The ship jerking to the right brought them all back into focus and Thor went back to piloting the ship toward the edge of the city. The whirling clouds of the Devil's Anus could be seen in the distant horizon. Overhead, Valkryie's ship sped past them with another ship close behind her. The ship that was pursuing her let loose several rounds, one of the rounds finding its mark and taking out the left engine.

"No, no!" said Bruce, catching sight of Valkyrie's ship getting hit.

"No!" said Thor at the same time as her ship veered off to the right before it exploded.

Ana had moved to the edge of her seat as a protesting gasp escaped her lips, her panic at the thought of the female Asgardian being killed striking her deep. It was a moment later that a small figure could be seen hurling through the air toward them and before they could react, Valkyrie had slammed into the windshield of the cockpit. She reached out to grab hold of a groove in the window and held on as the ship turned to the left to avoid the debris of her destroyed ship.

"Brunnhilde!" Ana called out as she got up from her seat, her relief clear as a bright smile touched her lips. "Get inside!"

"In a minute!" Valkyrie called back, having seen the relieved and bright smile Ana had given at the sight of her. She smiled back at Ana and gave a wink before she climbed toward the top of the ship.

Ana felt the faint heat in her cheeks as she sat back in her chair, her smile still there as she looked at Bruce and Thor. "She's a tough one, isn't she?"

"It would seem so," said Bruce, watching the smile on his wife's face and wondering if his wife might actually lean toward batting for the home team herself on occasion. Not that he minded... He rather liked the idea actually…

"Her name is Brunnhilde?" asked Thor in surprise, breaking through Bruce's thoughts, as he glanced at Ana with his brows raised. "I didn't know that… How do you know that?"

"She told me," said Ana, her smile growing as she saw the disappointed frown on Thor's face.

"Why didn't she tell me?"

"She likes me?" said Ana, giving a shrug as she tried not to laugh as his disappointed frown grew.

The sound of explosions behind them and the display on the console showed that two of the ships that had been in pursuit of them had been destroyed. It seemed that Valkyrie was taking advantage of being outside the ship and was decimating their numbers.

Thor glanced at the display, his frown easing slightly. "I should probably go and help…" He glanced at Ana in question. "Could you conjure weapons and attack the ships that we might miss without hitting us in the process?"

She glanced at the console, took note of the number of ships on their tail, before she sent off the questioning thought to Erin.

_Keep focused and aim well, we should be fine._ Erin had pressed herself against the clear wall, already getting prepared for the spells they would be casting.

Ana looked at the god of thunder and gave a firm nod with a reassuring smile. "Erin and I got you covered, _mon ami_."

Thor returned the smile before he got up and took hold of Bruce's shoulder. Ignoring Bruce's questioning protests, he steered the good doctor into the pilot's seat. "Here, take the wheel."

"I don't know how to fly one of these!"

"You're a scientist. Use one of your PhDs," said Thor as he shoved Bruce down onto the pilot's seat before running off to the back of the ship.

"None of them are for flying alien spaceships!" Bruce yelled over his shoulder as he quickly took hold of the controls and tried to straighten the ship.

Ana had let out a laugh as she got up from her chair and moved to stand behind her husband's chair, swaying a bit on her feet. "Hold her steady _mon amour_ ; we're going to need to be on our feet for this one."

Bruce quickly glanced over his shoulder at his wife. "What are you going to do?"

Ana smiled as she focused on the display in front of Bruce, noting the number of ships pursuing them. "You'll see."

While Bruce was doing his best on steering the Commodore, the last of the city trailed away behind them and soon they were out in open waters. Surrounding them were piles of debris and junk from the wormholes that dotted the skies above. Bruce managed to get a hold of piloting the ship despite his protests and avoided the debris with growing ease. Ana was behind him, her hands weaving intricate gestures while threads of deep reddish – orange light erupted from between her fingers. The sound of sizzling could be heard as Ana wove her magic and outside of the ship, matching threads of light began to take shape and form into intricate balls of fiery light. The balls of light began to grow with each thread that Ana wove but it was taking some time and two ships were coming closer in pursuit of them.

Bruce, who had been glancing at the balls of light with keen interest, saw the ships that were coming up on them fast and felt a stab of panic. Seeing that his wife was not quite done with her casting, he quickly glanced at the console. "Ok, c'mon," he said as he reach out to press some of the buttons. "There's gotta be a gun on this thing." He paused, seeing a large button with a symbol of what looked like an explosive on it. "That looks like a gun…"

Without hesitating, he reached out and slammed his hand over the large button. A split second later, music and flashing lights filled the cabin while an irritating voice started singing off key. " _It's my birthday! It's my birthday!_ " Bruce ducked his head down and glanced behind him to catch sight of Ana being thrown off her casting. There were party lights flashing in various colors while a hologram of the Grandmaster popped up on the console, singing in his terrible voice. " _It's my birthday!_ "

The sound of fireworks could be heard coming from the rear of the ship and exploding out in the air behind them. The fireworks had connected with the balls of fiery light that Ana had been conjuring outside of the ship and the explosions that followed were both colorful and loud. One of the ships that had been pursuing them had been caught up in the blast while the other, in an effort to try to avoid the explosions, crashed into one of the piles of debris and exploded on impact.

As the hologram, music and lights faded away, Ana glanced at her husband in disbelief. "Bruce, what the _hell_ was that?"

"I… thought it was a gun?" said Bruce, giving a hesitant shrug as he focused back on piloting the ship. "It helped, right?"

Ana's mouth hung open for a moment, not knowing what to say to that. Instead, she closed her mouth, and shook her head; rather glad she had conjured the spells far away from the ship so they wouldn't get caught in the blast. She didn't get to finish the spells that she wove in conjuring the energy and the magic had been unstable because of it but it did do its job. She was better than she had been several months ago but still an apprentice so her control was not quite on par with those of a master. It was a lesson she had learned over and over in her training with Strange and Wong but she sometimes still needed reminding: Stay focused in the heat of battle, one distraction could mean the end of one's life.

A moment later the sound of heavy thuds landing on the floor of the back of the ship had Ana whirling around in surprise, conjuring a pair of fiery shields. At the sight of Thor and Valkyrie making their way into the cockpit, she relaxed in her stance as the shields disappeared with a sizzle. Bruce had glanced over his shoulder at the Asgardians and a look of relief crossed his features. "Guys, we're coming up on the Devil's Anus!" He moved out of the pilot's seat at Valkyrie's nudge without hesitation, more than happy to relinquish the control into her capable hands.

"All right, everyone! Get in a seat and buckle up," said Valkyrie as she glanced at Ana and gestured for her to take a seat in the chair beside hers. Ana moved to sit in the copilot's seat, much to Thor's disappointment, while Bruce went to take a seat in the chair behind Ana's. Thor, looking put out, took the last remaining seat behind Valkyrie and buckled in.

As they neared the swirling vortex of clouds and light, the ship began to shudder and shake as broken ship parts, large rocks and other debris banged against the shields of the ship. Valkyrie maneuvered the ship with ease as she did her best to bypass the biggest of the debris while the shields kept the rest of it at bay. "Here we go!"

The ship continued to shudder and shake as they dove into the heart of the wormhole and bypassed the last of the debris, shimmering pinkish – purple light surrounding their vision. The gravitational pull of the vortex took hold of the ship and they were all slammed back against their seats.

"Shit!" said Valkyrie as the ship shuddered violently before it took off toward the light and disappeared…


	124. I Never Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan Lee passed away today... Excuse me while I go cry in a corner...

_ We're leaving together _

_ But it's still farewell _

_ And maybe we'll come back to Earth _

_ Who can tell? _

_ I guess there is no one to blame _

_ We're leaving ground _

_ Will things ever be the same again? _

**The Final Countdown** \- Europe

-o-

Chapter 124 : I Never Thought

"I never thought I'd be back here," said Valkyrie as she piloted the ship over the expanse of waters that surrounded the city of Asgard. Off in the distance, the city could be seen and, as they drew nearer, they could see the flames and smoke of a city that had endured a series of battles. The moment the ship started flying overhead of the city, they could see the extent of the damage that had been done.

"Your sister's done a number to this place," said Bruce as he glanced at Thor. "I remembered it used to look a lot nicer."

Ana was standing behind her husband, her hands placed firmly on his hips as she leaned a cheek against his shoulder. She was surveying the extent of the damage done to the city through the windshield and her heart had grown heavy. Remembering their last encounter with Hela, she was wary of the battles to come. Especially with her husband so near…

A beeping signal from the dashboard had caught their attention as a hologram emerged showing a local mountain range a good distance from the city. The map was showing a cluster of red dots within one of the mountains. "Here, up in the mountains," said Valkyrie as she leaned forward and pointed to the map. "Heat signatures. People clustered together…" She frowned as she reached out to the hologram to zoom in on the spot on the map. As she did so, a single green dot could be seen making its way steadily up the mountain toward the clustered group. Valkyrie's face took on a tense look as she pulled away from the hologram. "She's coming for them…"

"Drop me off at the palace," said Thor, the frown on his face growing deep. "I'll draw her away…"

Ana blinked and she glanced down at the god of thunder, staring at the Asgardian who had been a constant friend and ally. "Thor, that's suicide. Remember the last time we faced her? You shouldn't face her alone."

"You'll get yourself killed," said Valkyrie, in full agreement with Ana. "That is why we are here."

"The people trapped down there are all that matters," said Thor as he glanced at the two women, his frown softening at their worry and concern. "While I'm dealing with Hela, I need you three to help get everyone off Asgard."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" asked Bruce, his form tense with worry as he looked at Ana before glancing back at Thor.

"I have a man on the ground," said Thor, focusing his gaze back out the windshield.

Ana's hold tightened around Bruce as she drew closer to him. She knew that Thor was going to aim toward keeping them from fighting his sister. This was a family matter and he was an honorable man if there ever was. His people did not ask to be drawn in the middle of this. The remaining Lyttans that had called this place their sanctuary the last three years certainly did not. She had recalled when Hela had mentioned the Lyttans of the past being a part of her army. She was concerned that some of them may have chosen to side with the goddess of death. If that were so, it was going to be one hell of a battle… She could admire Thor's bravery but he was foolish to think that they would not fight beside him. He would need their help for what was to come…

-o-

Despite the worry of what was to come should the plan go wrong, they all agreed that it was better than going in with guns blazing. They needed to make sure the people got out of Asgard safely with as little casualty as possible. Since Ana could not conjure a gateway to Earth while they were within Asgard, their only course of action was to get everyone to the bi-frost.

Just before Thor had left the ship to head to the palace, he had pulled Ana aside and given her a tight hug. Ana, caught off guard by the embrace, had awkwardly patted Thor on the back where she could reach. He had pulled away to look at her, his electric blue eyes filled with warmth. "Thank you for helping me in my quest, Red Lady. It has always been an honor to call you my friend and ally. Yet, I ask that once you help our people to the bi-frost, to take your husband and get back to your family. You and Banner have fought enough this day."

Ana frowned up at Thor, her expression was one of confusion. "We promised your father we would help in your fight-"

"And I am relieving you of your oath to fight," he said as his gaze flicked between hers. "As far as I am concerned, you will fulfill it the moment you and Banner bring my people to the bi-frost. Nothing more."

"Thor…"

"No," he said with a firm shake of his head. "I will not have you risk any more than you already have. It was a miracle we made it out in one piece after everything that had happened to you. I won't have your children be a moment longer without their mother and father. One broken family is enough…"

Ana stared up at him, her frown growing deeper, before she sighed. " _If_ things go according to plan… I will make sure Bruce and I make it through the bi-frost."

"Thank you, Red Lady," said Thor, his worried frown easing into this familiar bright smile. "I shall return swiftly from the armory. This ship will need an upgrade."

Ana had nodded as Thor said goodbye to her before moving off the ship through one of the open hatches to land on the one of the balconies that led into the palace. As he ran off, Bruce had come up behind her, a frown of concern on his face. "What was that about?"

"He wanted us to go home," said Ana as she folded her arms across her chest, her worry still running deep. "Once the people make it to the bi-frost."

Bruce looked at her, his confusion clear on his face. "What about the fight?"

She shook her head. "He didn't want us to fight his battles… but we'll see what happens…"

They had waited until Thor had come back from the palace, a large Gatling gun in one hand and a wrapped bundle in the other. He heaved the gun up onto the ship with a smile. "Now, the ship has a gun…"

Bruce and Ana had moved to the cockpit of the ship, leaving Valkyrie a moment alone with Thor. They had already said their good lucks to the god of thunder and both were feeling anxious of what was to come. Bruce was not keen on being cast back into the darkness to allow the Hulk out to fight and Ana could feel his anxiety. Yet, she could also feel his resolve growing. He had her close by and their bond was reestablished meaning that even if he would be cast back to allow the Hulk dominance, he would feel their link. There would be no disconnect this time. Ana and Erin were firm in their bond to their mate and husband. No matter what was to come, they would not be torn apart again.

Bruce had taken the pilot's seat and powered up the ship once he received the go ahead from Ana that Valkyrie was ready. Thor had already turned with a wave before he raced back inside the palace. Ana plopped down in the seat beside her husband and they glanced at one another. An unspoken look passed between them, one filled with love and understanding, before Bruce turned his attention forward and the ship took off away from the palace toward the bi-frost…

-o-

It seemed that Hela had anticipated the course of action that Thor's man on the ground had planned. Heimdall had arrived on the rainbow bridge that led to the bi-frost with the surviving Asgardians in tow. Dotted among them were taller figures, various men and women, that bore familiar crimson or red veins visible through their clothing. Even a few mixed couples could be seen, a Lyttan and Asgardian with a toddler or newborn within the mother's arms. They were standing in a protective stance as they situated themselves around their children against the threat that was marching toward them on either end. A few of the Lyttans without families were already showing signs of barely suppressed rage at these threats, looking as if they would change at any given moment. There was a hesitance in their stance, a worry of hurting the people around them should they rage out of control.

On one side, a monstrous black wolf with glowing green eyes was blocking the way to the bi-frost and growling, the sound vibrating the very air around it. Behind the wolf, an entourage of the undead soldiers spanning the width of the bridge. On the other side back toward the city, an army of undead soldiers were blocking the way being led by an armed Asgardian with dark stripes tattooed upon his bald head. The surviving people were stuck on a narrow bridge with no way out. A few of the braver Asgardians wielded the weapons they carried with them, a determined look showing on their faces…

The monstrous wolf started running toward the trapped people, its large paws cracking the bridge beneath it as it bounded ever faster toward its target…

A hail of bullets fell from above as a ship emerged from the thickness of the clouds that lingered over the water and pummeled against the thick hide of the wolf. The wolf screeched to a stop and let out a loud growl in response, the bullets merely ricocheted of its thick hide. While the wolf was distracted by the heavy hail of gunfire from the ship that flew overhead, it did not notice the tall feminine form that had leapt down from the ship and landed on the bridge. It started running at a fast pace down the bridge toward the people who were trapped.

Heimdall had noticed and a small hopeful smile had emerged at the sight of the Red Lady running towards them. She looked to be in a partial raging form with her glowing yellow eyes and visible crimson veins but did not bear her signature red claws or feet. Instead, she was wielding a fiery blade and shield in her hands, a sign of sorcery if Heimdall had ever seen. As she passed him, she had uttered an apology for being late before making her way quickly through the crowd.

Heimdall's gaze had followed after the Red Lady as she worked her way through the crowd, some of the other Lyttans recognizing her and helping to move the others aside. Just as Heimdall heard the traitorous Asgardian call out his name and to hand over sword before giving the signal for the undead army to attack, the Red Lady had emerged from the crowd and conjured a large fiery barrier that spanned the width of the bridge. The undead soldiers slammed against the barrier only to reel back the moment they caught fire. The rush of magical flame was quick to consume what it could and a good number of the undead soldiers were nothing but ash. However, there were many more of the soldiers replacing those that perished and the Red Lady was struggling to maintain the shield.

"You might want to start running now!" She yelled over her shoulder as she braced herself against the weight of the undead soldiers that were slamming themselves against her barrier.

She heard the scuffling of hundreds of feet behind her but not before she sensed that a few of the braver Asgardians and her own Lyttans – now changing into their own raging forms – had taken a defensive stance on either side of her. The barrier looked like it was going to give way at any moment and she looked at the brave souls who stood by her side before focusing her attention back on the shield. It was their choice…

There was the sound sizzling sparks and a high-pitched whine emerged from the barrier before it gave way and the rush of the undead army spilled forward. They were met a clash of metal and fire, various roars and screams of rage could be heard as the Lyttans dove into the fray to tear apart the undead. While they were holding back the army from their end of the bridge, the ship that had been firing at the wolf had ran out of bullets from its gun and the wolf had merely shook off the last of the bullets. The weapon had done no damage at all to the creature. The wolf had snapped and snarled at the ship before it started running toward the people, the army of undead following behind it. The screams of the people could be heard and, with the Red Lady busy fighting off the undead from her end, only Heimdall and the warriors beside him were all that was between them and the monster…

The ship, which had moved to hover above the span of the bridge between the wolf and the people, turned sideways. On board the ship, Valkyrie had passed a glance at the good doctor in question as he set the ship to auto pilot. "Don't worry," he said, "Everything's gonna be all right now. I got this."

Understanding touched Valkyrie's face as she looked at the wolf bounding over the bridge before looking at Bruce. "About time. Be safe for your family's sake!"

Bruce gave a firm nod of his head, knowing that the Asgardian woman had been aware of who his other self was, before he turned and leapt out of the ship. He held fervently onto the link between Ana, Erin and himself, sending his deep love through their link, as he fell through the air. He felt their love in return and a smile graced his lips…

Back on the bridge, the wolf was gaining in speed and distance, a howl escaping its snapping mouth when suddenly something small had crashed on the bridge in front of it. The wolf screeched to a stop in surprise as the small man that had fallen from the sky rolled a few times before coming to a dead stop. It leaned down to sniff the man, nudged it with its snout, before it growled and completely dismissed the small figure – seeing that the small man was dead. It moved over the man and started to run once again, picking up the traction it had lost. Just as it was about to pounce on Heimdall and the people, something had grabbed it from behind by the tail. It was pulled from behind, its claws cracking the crystal of the rainbow bridge beneath its paws, and was swung back around. It crashed against one of the stone pillars that lined the bridge and was slammed down a good twenty feet away.

As the wolf got to its feet, the Hulk had let out a loud roar as he clenched his massive green fists. The wolf roared in return before it ran forward and tackled into the Hulk. Its large jaws had clamped down around the Hulk's left arm just as he had been about to throw a punch. The force of the wolf had taken the both of them crashing over another stone pillar, through a part of the bridge itself, and down into the water beneath.

While this was happening, the undead soldiers that had followed the wolf had managed to leap up and make their way on top of the hull of the ship. They were undead Asgardian warriors and even in death they were just as strong as they had been in life. They were tearing apart the hull of the ship and warning lights blared as Valkyrie quickly made her way back to cockpit. She piloted the ship higher and away from the throng of the undead, wildly swinging the ship to toss off the ones that clung on. She flew the ship toward the bi-frost before landing with a crash on the bridge.

On the other end of the bridge, the Red Lady was making very intricate and difficult gestures with her hands while the warriors beside her fought off the throng of undead. The fiery light that formed between her fingers sparked and sizzled with power as Ana and Erin worked their magic. With a final gesture and a snap of her fingers, the magic solidified and a series of large, spinning disks made of the same reddish-orange light were conjured. Sparks of flame shot from the disks before they spanned out behind the Red Lady and along the bridge, surrounding the people. With a final twist of her fingers, the disks rotated and walls of flames emerged from the discs to connect with one another, forming a nigh impenetrable wall of magical fire.

"Keep me covered," she said to the warriors on her side as she started to move backward, urging the people to head toward the bi-frost. With her concentration focused on the task at hand, she did not hear the large engines of a massive ship breaking through the atmosphere of the skies above. On the other side of the people, Heimdall was lying on his back and staring up at the unexpected sight of the Kronan and his little bug buddy with scissors for hands that had saved his life from one of the undead warriors.

"Hey man," said the Kronan as he hefted the large weapon he had used to destroy the undead soldier. "I'm Korg. This is Miek." He pointed to the bug friend beside him before he looked back at Heimdall. "We're gonna jump on that space ship and get outta here. Wanna come?"

Heimdall's breaths were heaving as he turned around somewhat to glance back at the people, who were now behind a wall of magical fire, and glanced up in the clouded sky to see a very large ship making its way out of the fog.

"Your savior is here!" cried a gratingly familiar voice and as the ship drew nearer to the bridge, the sight of none other than Loki standing in the open hatchway of the ship greeted them. His hands were held out in a basking fashion as he glanced around at the sight of the crowd on the bridge. Seeing the wall of magical fire that surrounded them, a flicker of surprise crossed his features before he glanced to see the source of the magic. His gaze caught sight of the Red Lady's form at the head of the large crowd of people, maintaining the fiery wall in an attempt to protect them. With practiced ease, he had conjured an illusion of himself and set it off toward where the Red Lady was.

"An impressive display," said Loki, the horns of his familiar golden helmet catching her eye. She let out an involuntary snarl at the sight of him and he merely smirked. "Understandable reaction. Yet, at the moment, we are fighting on the same side. Would you mind removing a portion of your wall so our people can get aboard that large ship?"

Glancing over her shoulder, the Red Lady finally caught sight of the large ship before looking back at Loki. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but seeing no other option at hand, she focused on moving one of the spinning discs. The magical disk moved up with some visible effort on her part and the connected wall of flame rose along with it, allowing the people a clear pathway to the ship. Loki allowed his smirk to grow as he glanced at the Red Lady and gave a mocking bow of his head. "Many thanks, Red Lady," he said before the illusion disappeared.

She didn't say a word to him and focused her attention back on maintaining the magical wall that protected the people from the undead army on either side of them. While she moved backward to allow the people to get on board the ship, Korg and Miek had appeared on other side of her to help.

"Hey Red Lady," said Korg, a bright smile on his rocky face. "Need a hand?"

She didn't get a chance to respond as she was focused on maintaining the wall but gave a firm nod of her head.

Behind them, Loki was making his way through the crowd. "Did you miss me?" he said, a slight smirk touching his lips. He gestured everyone to hurry along as he made his way toward where the Red Lady was being helped by the other fighters from the arena of Sakaar. Since she was maintaining the magical wall that was keeping the undead army at bay from the people, she could not fight herself. It was thanks to the others fighting for her that she was not pulled into the fray.

"Everyone, on board that ship!" Loki called out as he walked, spotting Heimdall on the edge of the crowd. He was looking keen on going to help protect the Red Lady, who was protecting their people, but was waiting for the other son of Odin.

As Loki drew nearer, Heimdall let out a huff of a laugh. "Welcome home. I saw you coming."

Loki stopped beside the former guardian of the bi-frost as he glanced at Heimdall before looking back at the sight of the undead army that was smashing against the wall of fire. "Of course, you did," he said, a look of resignation appearing. "The Red Lady doesn't look like she'll be able to hold that wall for much longer."

"Well, we better prepare ourselves," said Heimdall in reply as he drew the bi-frost sword just as the fiery wall finally flickered and exploded out of existence in a shower of sparks…


	125. The Last Words

_Today is going to be a good day_

_And here's why_

_Because today_

_Today at least_

_You're you_

_And that's enough…_

**Finale** – Ben Platt and Original Broadway

-o-

Chapter 125: The Last Words

The last words to spill from Hela's lips that registered with Thor's mind ended in the form of a question.

"I am the goddess of death," she said, her grip around Thor's neck tightening as she held him over the edge of a balcony. "What were you the god of again?"

Those simple little words strung together formed the simplest of questions.

What was he the god of again?

Thor was breathing heavily from the exhaustion of his battle with his older sister, one in which she proved just how powerful she truly was now that she was on Asgard. He had lost his right eye in that battle, one of her dark blades having swung and found their mark. Now, held over the edge of one of the many balconies in the palace that overlooked the rainbow bridge and the battles going on there, Thor could feel his consciousness slipping away for just that brief heartbeat…

-o-

_He was strolling across a familiar place._

_It was a grassy, seaside cliff that overlooked a turbulent ocean and a partly cloudy sky above._

_Standing at the edge of the cliff, stood Odin Borson, his father, watching his approach with a studious eye. He looked as he had not so long ago, filled with strength and power, not at all like the old man he had become in his last moments._

_Thor came to a stop before his father and kneeled down on the grass, his remaining eye filled with disappointment and failure. He looked down, unable to retain eye contact with his father._

_"Even when you had two eyes," began his father, "You'd see only half the picture."_

_Thor felt the weight of fatigue as he took in a few deep breaths. "She's too strong," he said, shaking his head. "Without my hammer, I can't…"_

_Odin tilted his head as he studied his son, giving a slight shake of his head. "Are you Thor, the god of hammers? Hm?"_

_Thor looked up at his father, confusion clear on his bearded face._

_"That hammer was to help you control your power, to focus it," said Odin as he gestured to his son. "It was never your source of strength."_

_"It's too late," said Thor, shaking his head once more. "She's already taken Asgard."_

_Odin looked away for a moment, thoughtful, before he lifted a shoulder in a light shrug. It was very unlike his father to do such a human gesture. It might have been a clue that this was nothing more than a vision…_

_"Asgard is not a place," said Odin after a moment. "It never was…" He looked around at the grassy cliff they stood on that overlooked the Norwegian Sea. "This could be Asgard."_

_Thor looked around, taking in the sight of the windswept cliffside and the horizon off in the distance, the sound of seaside birds could be heard if one listened close enough..._

_"Asgard is where our people stand," Odin continued, "Even now – right now – those people need your help."_

_Father and son stared at one another for a few moments before Odin, looking satisfied that he had said enough, turned and started to walk away._

_"I'm not as strong as you," said Thor toward the retreating form of his father, shaking his head. The self-doubt still lingering even after all this time._

_Odin turned around to face his son. "No," he said, "You're stronger." He gave a small smile at Thor, revealing a hint of the familial link between them, before he turned and walked away, fading into the distance…_

-o-

"Tell me brother," Hela's voice broke through the fog of his mind. "What were you the god of again?"

Electrical sparks formed between his fingers before his remaining eye disappeared beneath a blue-white glow. The clouds that had been gathering above the palace lit up as a strong surge of electricity heeded the summons of the one who controlled it. With a fierce yell from Thor, a large bolt of lightning struck down toward the balcony and shattered the stone structure into pieces…

-o-

The lightning was the prelude to the battles to come.

Striking his sister out of the way, Thor had made his way to the rainbow bridge to help his people and the allies who fought beside him. He made quick work of the undead army on his end of the bridge, focusing their attention away from the people who were fleeing into the large ship. He was giving the Red Lady a much-needed reprieve, whose magical barrier had finally given way under the continuous onslaught of wave after wave of the undead soldiers.

Loki, Heimdall, and the other fighters – a curious mix of Sakaar arena prisoners, Agardians, and Lyttans – had moved quickly around the Red Lady, who was trembling from the near continuous conjuring and spell casting she had done. She needed a moment to gather her strength before she could continue in the fight.

Far below in the cold waters that surrounded the city of Asgard, the Hulk was fighting against the massive wolf, Fenrir. After a series of powerful blows, the wolf had snarled and lunged forward, catching the Hulk by his legs and tossing him about. Its powerful teeth ripped through the flesh and muscle of his legs before he was dragged under the water. Jagged rocks and boulders ripped against his broad back as the wolf dragged him to the edge of the waters toward the void, where the great waterfalls of Asgard fell into nothingness.

The wolf opened its mouth and bit down once more, its sharp teeth puncturing through the flesh of the Hulk's thigh. A cloud of green blood erupted into the water and the Hulk let out a pained roar that emerged as nothing more than streams of bubbles. He tried swinging a punch at the wolf but missed, his anger rising at this. He swung once more and his punch hit true, one single powerful hit that struck the massive wolf against its snout. It released the Hulk from the sudden shock of pain, its head rearing back out of the water from the force of the blow. It continued to rear back, losing its purchase along the waterbed and went over the edge with a howl, hurtling down toward the nothingness.

The Hulk reached out desperately against the raging waters as he too fell over the edge, his thoughts immediately going to his mate as he felt her exhaustion through their link. His strong fingers found their grip on a sturdy piece of rock that jutted out from the falling water and he coughed out water. A heartbeat later, the Hulk started a slow ascent through the rushing waters back toward the rainbow bridge.

-o-

The last of the people were boarding the large ship just as the last wave of Hela's undead soldiers were cut down. There was a reprieve but that did not mean another wave would not come. The remaining warriors that had helped to fight off the undead soldiers were quick to board the ship. Save for the Lyttans, who had remained by the Red Lady's side until she bid them to go to their families on the ship. Lyttans were ever loyal to their own, even to one who was estranged. The Red Lady stood on alert, watching as her people boarded the ship, before she made her way over to the Odinson brothers.

"You're late," she heard Thor say to his younger brother.

A heaving breath from Loki followed by, "You're missing an eye."

The Red Lady would have laughed at the interaction if she was not so exhausted, her own chest heaving, before she felt a worried touch against her arm. She looked back and found Valkyrie eyeing her with concern. "Are you all right?"

The Red Lady gave a nod, a slight smile reaching her lips, before her glowing yellow eyes searched the edge of the bridge.

"Your mate will be along," said Valkyrie as she swung her sword up, her gaze focused off in the distance toward the city. "Right now, we have to make sure those people stay safe."

Again, the Red Lady nodded in agreement but she couldn't find the words to speak. She knew her mate was all right, she could feel him through their link, yet it did not stop the worry. Knowing her mate was steadily making his way back to her, she turned to follow Valkyrie.

Off in the distance, slowly strutting her way along the rainbow bridge and not caring of the crumpled bodies of her own soldiers, the goddess of death was making her way toward them.

"I think we should disband the Revengers," said Thor as he glanced at Valkyrie and the Red Lady.

Neither woman said a word to him.

"Hit her with a lightning bolt," said Loki as he gestured out toward there slowly strutting elder sister.

Thor glanced at his brother, an incredulous look on his face. "I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning." He turned his attention back to their sister. "It did nothing."

"We just need to hold her off until everyone's on board," said Valkyrie as she turned her gaze toward the taller woman beside her. "That means you, Red Lady."

"What?" It was Erin's confusion that had prompted the voiced question followed by Ana's immediate understanding.

"You and the Big Guy have little ones waiting for you back on Midgard," she said before glancing at Thor.

"Aye, that is so," said Thor with a quick nod. "Lady Ana and Lady Erin have upheld their part of the oath they had sworn to my father. I release you of your duty, as we discussed. You and Banner need to get on that ship."

"You actually had _children_ with that beast?" came the not-so-surprising question from Loki and the snarl he got in response to that question had him holding his hands up in surrender. "I meant no offense, Red Lady."

"We won't just leave you here _mon ami_ ," said the Red Lady as she focused her gaze on Hela. Thor was her friend and she had grown quite fond of the Valkyie named Brunnhilde. While she hated Loki, she knew that her friend still cared deeply for his younger brother. It was only out of respect for Thor that the frost giant still stood. "Hela will only continue her insane crusade against your people. She'll follow that ship to the ends of the universe and I will not lead that crazy bitch to my family. This needs to end now."

Thor studied the Red Lady before he focused his gaze on Hela. "You are right. The longer Hela remains on Asgard, the more powerful she grows. She'll only hunt us down."

"So, what do we do?" asked Valkyrie, her gaze focused on the goddess of death.

Loki glanced at Thor and gave a firm shake of his head. "I'm not doing 'Get Help.'"

Thor ignored his brother as he took a few steps forward. He glanced back at the retreating forms of his people before he looked at his sister. "Asgard's not a place. It's her people…" He took a few heaving breaths as a thoughtful look passed over his face. A moment later, realization dawned as he turned his attention to his younger brother. "Loki, this was never about _stopping_ Ragnarök. This was about _causing_ Ragnarök. Surtur's crown. The vault!" He studied his younger's brother's face as the same realization dawned. Thor shook his head, a sadness showing at the thought of the plan. "It's the only way…"

"Bold move brother," said Loki, "Even for me." Yet, there was no hesitation. Even the god of mischief could see the logic in such a very dangerous plan. He was off not a moment later, running off in the opposite direction of where the palace was. There was no doubt that Loki knew the secret ways around Asgard even better than Hela did.

With this brother off, Thor turned his attention to the Red Lady. "I will not ask you to fight but I will not make you retreat. Stay close to our people and make sure everyone gets on board that ship along with you and your mate. Do not worry about us."

The Red Lady frowned at that but didn't say a word. Instead, she moved back toward the ship, conjuring a couple of strong, fiery shields. She would wait for her mate's return and then decide what to do after that.

"Shall we?" asked Thor as he turned his attention to the woman beside him.

"After you," said Valkyrie in response…

-o-

There was a brief moment of panic that the Red Lady felt as she fought off the new wave of undead soldiers that seemed to have come from nowhere. With Thor and Valkyrie battling it out with Hela as a means to keep her distracted while Loki initiated the plan, and the Hulk struggling to make his way back to the rainbow bridge, the Red Lady was on her own. She could have jumped onto the ship as it was making its slow ascent; she could have forsaken her mate and friends as her one chance of getting back to her family was slipping away. While she was on Asgardian ground, she wouldn't be able to conjure a gateway home…

Yet, she didn't.

She didn't come this far in her journey to leave her mate and husband behind so she stayed on that bridge to fight off the horde of undead soldiers so that the ship could escape with their people.

As the large ship was beginning to pull away from the rainbow bridge, the sound of the screaming people filled her ears as she cut down each of the undead soldiers. She was still exhausted from her previous conjuring and spell casting, the constant nonstop waves of the undead Asgardians had nearly depleted her magical reserves so she had to resort to good old fashioned slashing and hacking with her fiery blades and defending with her magic shields. The panic was rising as she saw that her conjured blades were wavering slightly with each impact. She was tired and it was beginning to affect her conjuring.

It was when her shield had shattered beneath the swinging sword of one of soldiers that her panic blossomed further. She quickly conjured another to block the next blow when the sound of a yell from above caught her attention.

"For Asgard!"

Without warning, the Asgardian that had been the very one to lead Hela's undead army had jumped from the ship – apparently having stowed away on it – and landed in the middle of the wave of undead soldiers that had been attacking the Red Lady. He had in each hand an assault rifle – how in the world he got them the Red Lady couldn't say – and with the pair of them proceeded to cut down the undead soldiers. They turned as if in a hive mind and proceeded to attack the Asgardian despite the pile of bodies that littered around him, ignoring the Red Lady for the new target.

The Red Lady could say, with heaving breaths, that she was grateful for the interference of this Asgardian, who seemed to have a change of heart. There was a very good chance she might have lost this fight…

Seeing that the man would quickly fall under the onslaught of the undead soldiers, the Red Lady gathered the last of her energy to conjure several fiery spears. They hovered in the air around her before she let them loose and they took off toward the undead. Within moments, the last of the undead soldiers were impaled and set ablaze beneath the fierce attack of the spears and at the end of it all, the Asgardian was standing amid a pile of nonmoving corpses and ash. The Asgardian stared at the bodies before he looked up, his gaze catching with the Red Lady's. She gave a firm nod to him before she turned on trembling feet to glance at the retreating ship before she sighed heavily and made her way toward the altercation happening between Thor, Valkyrie, and Hela. She barely managed a step when her knees gave out and barely caught herself from slamming face first onto the bridge.

She heard thumping footsteps behind her as she struggled to get back to her feet, a firm hand gripping her upper right arm, helping to keep her steady. "You need to get on that ship. You won't last in a fight with the way you are now."

The Red Lady glanced up at the Asgardian, her glowing yellow eyes studying him, before she shook her head. She wasn't going anywhere without her mate…

"Hela, enough!" Thor's strong voice had caught their attention and the glanced toward where the fighting had ceased for a moment. "You want Asgard, it's yours."

"Whatever gave you're playing," said Hela in response, a dark sword gripped tightly in her hand. "It won't work. You can't defeat me."

"No," said Thor, his breath heaving slightly from the fatigue of the battles fought so far. "I know… But, he can."

Hela looked confused for a moment before there was a great rumbling and shuddering of the waters and land. Everyone glanced back at the sight of the great palace slowly engulfed in flame, flowing lava emerging from nearly every window and balcony. With the sound of a loud yell filling the skies, a humanoid form took shape from the lava.

"Tremble before me, Asgard!" The large being, Surtur, bellowed in a booming voice as a large great sword took shape within his hand. "I am your reckoning!"

"No," said Hela as she took off like a bat out of hell toward the city, no doubt in an futile attempt to keep the fire demon from destroying her world.

"The people are safe," said Valkyrie as she glanced at Thor. "That's all that matters."

"We're fulfilling the prophecy," said Thor in turn.

"I hate this prophecy…"

Behind them, a familiar large green being was climbing his way over the side of the bridge and onto the bridge proper, his breaths heaving heavily from the long swim he had to do. As he was getting his bearings, he glanced up the and down the bridge, looking for his woman…

The Hulk found her, leaning on an Asgardian male for support since she could not stand on her own. Ignoring the sound of the bellowing yells of the large fire demon behind him that in another life would have called to him to fight; he made his way straight toward his mate, his thumping footsteps shuddering the bridge beneath them.

The Red Lady, seeing her large green mate making his way to her, let out a relieved sob at the sight of him and quickly pulled herself away from the Asgardian. She managed a few trembling steps on her own before the Hulk had caught up to her and quickly swept her up into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed an earnest kiss against his lips, relieved that he was back in her arms…

"You two!" called Thor, his voice carrying over the sound of destruction going on behind them. "As wonderful as it is to see you together again, we must catch up to that ship if we want to make it out alive!"

The Red Lady, laughing at the familiar line that Thor had said to them many times before, had moved out of the embrace of her mate and climbed onto his back. She leaned in to whisper to the Hulk to grab the unnamed Asgardian since he had saved her in battle. The Hulk, hearing this, felt his frown ease when he had looked at the small bald male in question. He grunted in assent before he reached out to grab the male, ignoring the protesting yells of being manhandled.

Thor and Valkyrie had already made their way to the Hulk and, with the Hulk grabbing Thor in his other free arm and the Red Lady pulling Valkyrie up onto his back, the Hulk started running. He took a few steps before making a giant leap into the air, where they soared for a few heartbeats, before landing with a near crash through the open hatchway of the ship. There were still a crowd of people who were lingering around the hatchway, watching the battles that had happened, and they quickly jumped out of the way of the large being.

Once safe on the ship, the Hulk set down his entire load, save for his mate – who he set on his shoulder and kept a firm hold of her thigh to keep her in place. As the ship started to speed away from what was left of Asgard, the large booming laughter of Surtur reached them all…

"I am Asgard's doom!"

-o-

Sometime after, Thor and his allies had found themselves on the bridge of the ship which gave an unimpeded view of their former worlds. They watched as the fire demon laid waste to all that Thor and his people had known…

"The damage is not too bad," said Korg from somewhere to the right of Thor. "As long as the foundations are still strong, we can rebuild this place. It will become a haven for all people and aliens of the universe…"

As he was saying this, a flash of great white light erupted from the middle of the Asgardian world and it exploded into nothing…

There was an awkward silence before Korg said, "Now those foundations are gone… sorry."

"What have I done?" asked Thor, his electric blue eye welling with tears.

"You saved us from extinction," said Heimdall in reply. "Asgard is not a place… It's her people."

-o-

Ana and Erin could feel the fatigue from their battles but their heart was filled with warmth.

With all that had happened, they had made it. They could finally make their way home to their family with their mate and husband in tow. They only needed a moment to rest and replenish their energy…

The Hulk had not released his hold on her as they stood alone in a corner after everything was done. The people had maintained a healthy distance from the couple, allowing them their much needed space and privacy. The couple was well remembered among the Asgardians since their wedding on Asgard several years prior. The fact that they had arrived with their new king to help save them endeared the raging couple to the Asgardians even further.

Thor had gone off to the master quarters of this large ship to clean up from his battles so the others had been left to their own devices…

-o-

"Cin tired?"

Cin opened her eyes, feeling the tendrils of the light sleep she had been in falling away. She glanced up at Hulk, a gentle smile touching her lips at seeing the worry in his deep green eyes. He was sitting with his back against a large wall, a secluded little corner, and had been cradling her as she slept. She reached up a hand to wipe some green blood from his cheek and gave a gentle nod.

"I am… but I'm happy. I found you... Now, we're going home…"

The Hulk's frown eased into a smile at the mention of home. "Luc? Beccie?"

She let out a laugh as she nodded. "Yeah, back home to our babies…"

Hulk let out a huff of a breath as he leaned down to press his forehead against hers. "Hulk missed family… Regretted hurting you…"

She closed her eyes as she leaned up to brush a kiss against his lips. "Not important anymore… Now… Now, I just want us to go home…"

"Home," he grunted in agreement before his hold around her tightened.

It had been a very long journey but they finally made it free.

It was time to go back home.

-o-

~End of Part 6~


	126. That Familiar Sizzle

 

 

_In a land far away_

_I did dream of this day_

_Going back to a place that I know so well_

_No matter how far the road may seem at times_

_I know that I will_  

_Find my home sweet home…_

**Home Sweet Home**  - Anniegization

-o- 

~Intermission~ 

Chapter 126: That Familiar Sizzle

 

That familiar sizzle was what caught his attention.

That sizzling sound that occurred whenever Doctor Stephen Strange or Ana would do their magic. 

It mostly happened whenever Tony was visiting at the Sanctum and about to head over to see his godchildren at their hidden home. Either it was Mysterio or his sister that would be the one to conjure a gateway, a magical portal if he could call it that, and it made that same sound. 

It was a sound he was used to by this point but never outside of the Sanctum and _never_ in his office at the Avengers compound in upstate New York.

It had been a few months since Ana had left on her adventure with Thor on her quest to find her missing husband. Since her disappearance, the link with Ana had gone dark just as Bruce's had two years prior. There had been worry since, like with Bruce, Ana's link had gone dark with most of the family. Yet, unlike with Bruce's, Ana's link with Erai and her children was faint but a residual pull that was taunt and tight could be felt. Erai had said it was because of Erin that he and the twins could still feel her. The others in the family were only human so their mental link at such a distance could not register the strain, which was what had happened with Bruce.

It was because of this knowledge and comfort that his sisters were still alive somewhere out there, Tony was not as worried as he would have been. Over the weeks, he had been constantly checking the links among the family to make sure all was well. There had been no change from Bruce and Ana's links… 

That was why, on this particular day, Tony didn't think to check the links among the family when the that sizzling sound had emerged. His first thought was that Mysterio was finally forgoing propriety and decided to appear directly into Tony's office. When Tony had looked up from his monitor and looked around the room, he did not see the spiraling opening of a gateway anywhere within the room.

Confusion touched his goateed features before the origin of the sound finally registered directly above his desk. The moment he looked up, he saw the fiery hues of a gateway opening in the ceiling just before he was hit the familiar feel of an emotional cocktail from two links in the family that had been missing for some time. Thrown back by the sudden on rush of emotions not belonging to him, he had moved back just in time as something large and green had just crashed down onto his desk and smashed it to pieces. Another smaller form had crashed down on top of the green form and the only words that Tony Stark could manage to get out was, "What the hell!"

A familiar smiling face emerged from a mess of copper brown curls as Ana struggled to get herself up from on top of her mate, who was shrinking down to the familiar form of one Doctor Bruce Banner. 

"It worked!" Ana said as her brown gaze spotted her brother just a few feet from them sprawled on the floor. "Hi big brother!"

Tony could only stare at the sight of his little sister sitting on top of her husband among the mess of what was once his desk.

A familiar groan escaped from Bruce as he reached up to place a hand against his head. "You could've worked on the landing, sweetheart."

"Bruce!" Ana's gaze focused on her husband and a delighted laugh escaped her as she quickly moved to pounce on him and press a kiss against his lips. "We're home!"

 

Bruce reached out to wrap an arm around his wife's waist, taking the kiss in stride, before his soft brown eyes glanced around the office they were in. A moment later, his wandering gaze found Tony still staring at them from his place on the floor. A heartbeat of silence passed before a bright smile touched Bruce's face. "Hey Tony…"

Silence was the genius billionaire's response, but it didn't last long. 

"What the f- "

-o-

In a fenced in yard that overlooked rolling grass fields, a flock of sheep happily grazing in the background, Luc and Beccie Banner were playing a game of tag with their Aunt Betty. Uncle Ray had been playing with them but had been called away when there had been a sudden shift in the links among the family. The twins had certainly felt it and their excitement was clear as they ran back and forth, trying to get out their energy. They were waiting now. Waiting for their Mama to come home with Daddy…

Aunt Betty had not recognized the sudden shift in the links for what it was, and the twins thought it would be a wonderful surprise for her. She had been just as worried about their parents coming back.

A sudden shout from the house had caught the family's attention and the twins stopped, turning their attention to the backdoor of the house. Uncle Ray was calling to them, waving to them excitedly as a few people were coming out of their house and making their way of the small dirt pathway that led to the backyard.

The twins recognized Uncle Tony right away and the sudden scream of surprise from their Aunt Betty told the rest of the story.

Coming up from behind Uncle Tony, was the familiar smiling face of Mama. Behind her, looking nervous and frightened, was their Daddy. 

He had more grey in his hair then they remembered but it was him.

"Daddy!" Beccie cried out in pure and utter joy as she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. 

"Daddy! Mama!" Luc cried out from behind her and she could hear her brother running just as fast behind her. 

Daddy, seeing them running full tilt toward him, was caught by surprise as the twins slammed into him first, bowling him over in their eagerness to be close. He was thrown back from the force and landed hard on his backside but the crying twins that were hugging him tight was all he could focus on. His own tears were streaming down his cheeks as he reached down to gather up the twins in his arms and he held them tightly. His whispered apologies and pleas for forgiveness could be heard as he buried his face within the brown curls of his son and daughter's hair. 

Mama had come close and had wrapped her arms around Daddy, hugging him close as the family was finally reunited… 

They were finally home. 

Home sweet home…


	127. Part 7: Our Children

  _What about the children?_  

  _Look at all the children we can change_

_What about a vision?_

  _Be a visionary for change_

  _We're the generation_

  _Who's gonna be the one to fight for it?_

  _We're the inspiration_

  _Do you believe enough to die for it?_

  **Children** \- Justin Bieber

 -o-

 ~Part 7~

 Chapter 127: Our Children

 

"Our children are in danger."

The silence that followed this emotional statement was thick and heavy with unspoken worry and fear.

The fear of the darkness that was rapidly spreading throughout the universe and the cause of it that was making his final move.

"He's on the move. He's already gotten the Power Stone from Xandar and he's located the Space Stone… Right where our children are." The woman who spoke was tall with fair hair that fell in a cascade of curls down towards the middle of her back. Her clothing was a deep crimson dress that covered where it should but otherwise left little to the imagination. Her deep blue eyes were filled with the fear and worry that hung in the silence. Her skin was the color of cream which normally had a healthy pink flush along her cheeks. Now though, her face was pale, and she looked ill at ease.

She had wrapped her arms around herself as she studied her companion, another taller woman who stood across from her in their shared abode. The other woman stood a head taller than the blonde, with thick black hair hung like a sheet of silk about her face. She wore a dress like the blonde's and it revealed that her skin was a deep olive tone. However, her most prominent feature were that her eyes were nothing more than glowing yellow orbs. There was something distinctly feral about this other woman, the slight point to her ears giving her a somewhat elven quality. This woman had not responded to the first's commentary and the blonde let out a soft sob at the growing ache she could feel in her heart. "Ragia-"

"I know Lytta," the other woman said, her voice filled with apprehension. She glanced at the blonde, a deep frown etched across her features. "Do you not think I sense it too? The danger heading their way?"

"We have to save them," said Lytta, taking a step toward the woman named Ragia. "We have to save them before he reaches them.” 

Ragia sighed heavily as she turned away from the blonde and rubbed her face in frustration. "If I leave this space, even if it is a small part of myself, there is a risk the Reality Shard will react. It will want to reunite with its other half and with the other Stones. It's too great a risk."

"The Titan will come searching for it when he discovers that a piece is missing," said Lytta. "If he gets his hands on any of our children, he will have a way of finding the Shard… and us. I do not want it to come to that Ragia. You know our children each carry a sliver within them. The tiniest of slivers but it is there. In _all_ of them. We need to find them and bring them back to us to keep them safe or he _will_ destroy them all in his quest."

"I know Lytta," said Ragia with a soft shake of her head. "They craved the freedom I could not risk giving them myself. I had to let them go on their own path. I could not force our children to stay here any longer…" She looked at Lytta, her frown giving way to sorrow. "Their very souls were dying."

"And now they are no longer," Lytta said as she moved over to Ragia and reached up to tuck her black hair behind her ears. "They have found what they have searched for. Now, it's time they come back home before it is too late."

Ragia stared down at the woman, her glowing yellow eyes studying her face before she sighed and closed her eyes. She leaned down to press her forehead against the blonde's, reaching up to caress her soft cheeks. "As always, you find a way to ease my fears, my beautiful mate… but to chance losing the Shard… If the Titan gets a hold of the other half and calls it forth, I may not be strong enough to hold it fast."

"With our children back home with us, all of us together, _we_ may be strong enough to hold it fast. The Shard is a part of us. All of us. It will do what it must to continue surviving as it has. Protecting us to protect itself."

 

 

Ragia opened her eyes as she cradled her mate's face. "I hope you are right… I had sworn to protect the Shard from all who may try to possess it. I had been found by and won against Ego. Fought and won against so many countless weaker seekers. Never did I think that I would be found and defeated by the likes of you… That our children would come into being… I always thought I would do this alone. I had for countless eons before. Now..."

"Now, you are not alone," said Lytta before she leaned up to press a firm kiss against Ragia's lips. "As I have told you countless times over the cycles, we protect the Shard together. We will fight for and protect our children together. Our children will protect the Shard and they will fight and protect each other. You are not alone in this anymore, do you understand?"

Ragia smiled sweetly, gently running her fingertips over her cheeks. "Do you think it time we reveal ourselves to them? Since we are to go save our children, it would seem only right that they know their old mothers live."

"When the time is right," said Lytta, sighing heavily. "We need to protect them from the Titan and get them home first and then… Then we can show them." She glanced up at her mate and gave a slight shake of her head. "We need all of them here. That means finding Erai and Erin."

Ragia nodded at that, a slight frown appearing on her face. "Those wayward twins… They have been gone too long. Erin even longer. The last ones to be born in this darkness…"

"You made the right choice," said Lytta, reaching up to smooth the frown lines from between Ragia's brow. "This dark realm may have been a prison, but it has also been our fortress. Our children were protected within you until the time was right for them to go free. Erin was the one fated to find the way and Erai was to follow. They will find their way back with the others." She paused at this as she glanced around the bedroom they shared, a single room in a small home that rested near the very core of their planet. "Perhaps, after this, we should find our own way back into the fold."

"Perhaps," said Ragia in agreement. "I have missed traveling through the universe…" She paused at this and glanced at her mate. "If we do this, there will be no going back to what was. There is a risk we may lose the Shard and all that we love. Do you still wish to chance it?"

 

 

Lytta looked back at the taller woman and a smile touched her lips. "Have you forgotten after all these cycles Ragia? I am the goddess of rage and madness, a true daughter of Olympia born. Despite my own exile from my family, I will do all in my power to protect ours. Even if it means causing this Titan and his own ilk to burn in their own mad fury…"

Ragia smiled at the spark in her mate's eyes, that spark of fire that first caught her attention when the Olympian had landed on her planet all those generations ago.

"No, I have not forgotten, my sweet mate," said Ragia. "And neither will those who threaten our children and theirs." She let out a thoughtful hum as she closed her eyes, her senses reaching out to locate their brood. No matter how far their children traveled, Ragia could always find them… It had been a long time since she had to do so. She had always preferred to give their children their privacy out of respect for them. Yet, in times of trouble such as this one to come…

With a grunt and a shake of her head, Ragia opened her eyes and looked at Lytta. "I've found them. On a ship, heading toward a part of a galaxy that our twins had disappeared to… and I-" She paused, a sudden hitch in her breath as a sudden link once thought lost reestablished itself. "Erin…?"

Hearing this, Lytta turned around to face her mate, her deep blue eyes growing wide. "Our little girl? You found her? Is she with her brother? With the others?"

"The others," said Ragia, shaking her head as she held a hand to her temple. "On the ship. But… something feels off. She is… not herself. I sense someone else within the link with her… Within her.”

"Has she merged with someone?" Lytta asked, her concern for their youngest daughter quite clear.

"I can't tell," said Ragia with a shake of her head. "Her mind is well protected. It has been cycles since she had last been with the others… Anything could have transpired between that time. All I know is that Erai is not there with her."

 

 

"It doesn't matter," said Lytta. "One of us will need to get to the ship to establish an anchor to help pull them back to you." She chewed on her lower lip, thinking over their options before the thought came to her. She looked up at her mate, the resolve growing. "If the both of us go, would it make the anchor stronger?"

Ragia opened her mouth, about to protest the very thought of her mate going anywhere outside of their home but hesitated after listening to the question. Lytta had indicated they both go, which meant Ragia could protect her mate should the need call for it. She closed her mouth and, after a beat of silence, gave a nod. "With the both of us there, the Shard will react strongly to their slivers. It will help to reestablish a stronger connection to me and we can pull them and those within their own familial links back home."

"Then we shouldn't waste any more time," said Lytta, already turning to get ready for the journey ahead. "How long before you'll have a ship made?"

"Already have one on standby," said Ragia, who smiled at her mate as the blonde turned to look at her. "Just in case of a situation like this."

 

 

"Good," said Lytta with a pleased smile. "It's always a good thing to plan ahead." She turned back to head to one of the storage units in their bedroom. It housed her old Asgardian garb and weaponry. Ones that had been from her time as their ally, when she fought alongside the famed Valkyries…

"I'll meet you on the ship," said Ragia, giving her mate an appreciative glance before her body gave a slight shiver and suddenly her form faded away in a shimmer of dark red liquid that swirled and danced before disappearing.

"I'll be right along," said Lytta as she reached out to place a warm hand against the wall nearest her, giving it an affectionate stroke. The wall seemed to shiver minutely beneath her touch. Lytta smiled, her face filled with love, before the thought of their children came to the forefront of her mind.

She would not let her babies be harmed, especially her youngest daughter. "Don't worry my young ones, we'll be there soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here comes part 7 with Infinity War and Endgame in the works. Now, the previous chapter was an alternate happy feel good ending for those who don't want to deal with drama that Infinity War brings. Separate from what is going to happen here. So, you don't have to keep reading. If you liked the last chapter's ending, leave it that.
> 
> In the meantime, I threw in some not-so-subtle clues in here as to what is going on with this chapter. If you know where I'm going, cool. If you don't, don't worry.
> 
> And a definite warning: MARY SUE OCS. There, you've been warned... again.
> 
> I'm not promising an update soon, but I am working on the storyboard again so let's see where my muse takes me this time. Thanks for those who left wonderful comments for last chapter and for reading!


	128. Rumbling and Shaking

_Trouble on my left_

_Trouble on my right_

_I’ve been facing trouble almost all my life_

_My sweet love_

_Won’t you pull me though?_

**Trouble** – Cage the Elephant

-o-

Chapter 128: Rumbling and Shaking

Rumbling and shaking was the first thing to register with her sleep addled mind.

The bed in which she had been resting was vibrating from some unknown cause and for a moment in time she had forgotten where she was. The last thing she could recall was falling asleep in her mate’s arms… A sweet moment of peace and quiet in which dreams of home filled her mind after the battles they had had…

As the fog of sleep finally began to wane, realization hit her like a ton of bricks as the memories of recent events began to surface. Her panic had risen a notch as she struggled out of the mess of sheets and comforters that made up the bed. She was in one of the many spare rooms on this ship that had been converted into bedrooms to house the ones who had fought back on Asgard. She could vaguely recall a memory of her mate carrying her into this room to rest. After that, she had fallen into a deeper sleep and was not sure what happened. As she straightened, she glanced around the room and found that her mate was nowhere to be found. Another violent rumble took hold and she stumbled as the floor beneath her feet shuddered.

She didn’t wonder what was going on and she didn’t question where her mate was.

Her first instinct had been to open up and embrace the link between herself and her mate. It had been a link that had been dead for over two years before they had finally been reunited. The feeling of his rage that bubbled forth from the connection was very welcome and it helped to calm the panic she had begun to feel. He was still very close to her on this ship and more than likely had gone off not too long ago to find what threated this ship. She moved with little hesitation once she got a lock on her mate, following the pull that led out of the room and into the corridor.

The ship shuddered around her as she ran, following the pull, her fists clenching as a fiery, magical sword and shield conjured into being. The floors shuddered again as she turned down another corridor, not missing a beat as her step adjusted to the vibrations. As she ran, she could hear the distinct sounds of running footsteps heading in her direction. She had just managed to skid to a stop and kept herself from bowling into a male Lyttan. He was being followed behind by the others, every single one of her people who had survived the battles on Asgard. Those with families were among them, Asgardian males and females staying close to their Lyttan mates while their children were held close in their comforting arms. 

“What is happening?” She asked. Her voice was strained as she released the spell of her fiery sword, the blade fading from existence, and reached out to grab the male by the arm. “Who is attacking us?”

“Red Lady,” the male Lyttan glanced at her, his eyes studying her though his body language was tense. “The Titan and his Children have come. We must flee if we all wish to survive this.”

“Flee?” She asked, a frown twitching across her features. “Where? The escape pods are not this way.”

The Lyttan shook his head as he pulled his arm from her grasp. “Do you not feel it? The pull?” He studied her closer, his gaze flicking between hers. “The Great Mother calls us home. Pyragia… Our home world calls us. It has not done that in eons… Not since the time of Lytta. Our world is not of this reality. It is safe. We follow the pull and we will be safe.”

Now that he mentioned it, she could feel something in the deepest part of her mind, pulling at her, tugging her. It was faint but it was there. It felt instinctual but it was a long-forgotten instinct that no longer held sway over her now. Perhaps if she had been Erin alone…

“What about the others?” She asked, reaching out once more to grab him, ignoring the other people that rushed around them to disappear down the corridor. She ignored the feel of that base pull that was telling her to run with them.

“Too late for them,” he said, “The Titan has already killed the half of them… We cannot win against Thanos and his Children. If you choose to fight them, the others and I will not stop you. I can only wish you luck.”

Her heart gave a strong lurch at those words but she let him go, watching as he turned and ran off to catch up with the rest of their surviving people. Wherever the pull was telling them to go, she hoped that they would make it to safety…

Turning around, she ran down the corridor in the opposite direction, following the pull that belonged to her mate. She had journeyed this far… She was not going to lose him now.

Not ever again.

-o-

The moment she had managed to make it through the smashed entryway that belonged to the bridge of the ship, it was to find a nightmare. Everywhere she looked, there were bodies… The old and the young… Men, women and… children…

She could see a group of people standing in the middle of this massacre, one chief amongst them taller than all the rest. Not as tall as her mate but tall. He was decked out in gold armor, his skin a strange purple hue beneath the light of the fires that burned around them. He held in his right hand, tight in his grasp, the King of Asgard, who was looking bloodied and bruised from whatever battle had happened.  It would seem that this was the Titan named Thanos that the male Lyttan had spoken of. Before him, stood none other than god of mischief, Loki, who held out the Tesseract toward this being. It seemed that she had arrived at just the right moment.

Loki was staring up at the Titan, his gaze arrogant and defiant despite the losses suffered. “…for one thing, I’m not Asgardian… and for another…” He paused at this, that spark of defiance seeming ever so sweet. “We have a Hulk.”

 It was at that moment the familiar roar of her mate could be heard and she saw that he had emerged from another door across the way from hers. Her heart jumped up into her throat as she witnessed the Hulk slam full tilt into the Titan, knocking him out of the way. The force of the blow had loosened the grasp Thanos had on Thor. Loki had dropped the Tesseract and it clattered across the way, close to where she was. He had dived for his brother, pushing him out of harm’s way, while avoiding the Hulk’s heavy frame.

The Hulk was laying it on heavy against the Titan, his blows landing hard and true. He was putting up one hell of an offensive attack against Thanos and she could not help the feeling of pride that welled up in her. Quickly glancing at the others, the one the male Lyttan had named as Thanos’ Children, she saw that they were focused on the fight going on between their leader and her mate. One of them, a smaller ugly thing that resembled a noseless, balding, man, had held up a hand to a large brute wielding a battle hammer stating to “let him have his fun.”

They had not noticed her and she was going to use that to her advantage. Her gaze landed on the glowing cube that almost been forgotten in the excitement and, knowing that this was the cause of all the trouble, she conjured a small gateway beneath it. It fell through the tiny gateway and landed safely in her right hand. She had never held the Tesseract, had never been close enough to know just how powerful it was. The closest Infinity Stone she had ever been near was the Mind Stone in Vision’s forehead and even then, she had never touched it. Had she known what would have happened, she would have never even summoned the thing to her.

The moment it had landed in her hand, her body reacted instantly, the crimson veins glowing with thermal energy as her hand burned bright red from the contact point. She winced at the sudden connection she felt with the Space Stone. There was something deep within the base of her neck that was reacting physically to this cube. She could feel it burning and the pain that erupted was spreading like wild fire through her veins. The cube began to crack from one end to another until it finally broke apart and a small blue gem, glowing with unnatural power revealed itself. It hovered above her glowing, red hand, the crimson veins in her fingers sparking with magical energy. The sparking energy had turned into a darker shade of red, the sparks changing into something more fluid. The fluid energy had swirled up from her hand and surrounded the blue stone. It began to spin, the deep red swirls of energy reacting with the blue of the Space Stone’s.

With a violent crack, the Space Stone had split into two.

One half had been forced away by the fluid energy and it landed with a clatter to the floor, sparks of power erupting from the points of contact. The other half was surrounded by the deep red fluid energy and pulled toward the trembling hand that was trying to pull away. She was trying to close her hand, trying to keep the half of the Space Stone away from herself, but something else had taken over. Something deep within the very physical part of her being had recognized the Stone and it was calling it forth.

Bringing it in to keep it safe.

With a growing horror, the Red Lady watched with wide eyes as the half of the Space Stone imbedded itself into her palm. With a painful lurch, her trembling hand clasped around the stone and she could feel it burrowing deep, could feel her crimson veins wrapping around it as the skin grew over…

“What did you do?!” A screeching voice had brought her back into the present.

All that had happened with the stone took only a few moments, several beats of a racing heart, and a painful breath. Her pained gaze had focused on the ugly male who had finally noticed her. His screeching had brought the attention of the others to focus on her.

It was at that moment that she saw the Titan had somehow overtaken her mate. A hitched breath and a whimper was all she could manage as she struggled to take a step forward. Her right hand was burning with intense energy, a deep violet glow that contrasted with the deep red glow of her own energy. Her attention was focused on the form of her fallen mate, despite the intense agony her body was going through.

“A Celestial…” The deep voice that spoke came from the Titan, a spark of something could be seen on his face. His attention was focused solely her. “You…”

He did not notice the trembling form of the Asgardian King as Thor came up from behind with a heavy pipe and jumped up to land a heavy blow against the Titan’s head. The pipe broke against the armored head of the Titan. It had done its job though and had brought the focus away from the Red Lady.

Thor had seen what the Red Lady had done to the Tesseract, had witnessed as her body reacted to the Space Stone within. She had _torn_ an Infinity Stone in two and her body had absorbed one half while rejecting the other. At the muttered word from Thanos, Celestial, it had all connected together.

The Reality Stone torn in two eons ago… The Red Lady’s people guarding one half while the other had been rejected to the vacuum of Dark Space to be found by the Dark Elves…

With the Space Stone torn in two, it would not be as powerful…

Thor felt the breath get knocked out of him as Thanos landed a heavy kick against his torso. He went flying back and landed with a heavy thump against the metal grated floor. A moment later, scraps of metal were wrapping him and holding him tight. It was strong and he could not escape. His single eye had focused on the collapsed form of his old friend, Heimdall, who lay dying across the way. Their gazes met and Heimdall had caught the meaningful plea in his King’s single eye.

Heimdall, his chest heaving with his last breaths, turned his gaze toward the Red Lady. She was struggling beneath the pain of what had just happened to her as she tried to make her way to her fallen mate. The Children had not reacted to her movements, their focus was as their Titan father, awaiting his orders. Thanos had seemed to not want to kill that one just yet…

“All Fathers,” he muttered, calling upon the last of his strength and magic as he focused on the couple. “Let the Dark Magic flow though me… one last… time…”

A flow of rainbow light surged forward from outside of the ship. It flowed over Heimdall, its aim and trajectory flowing over the Hulk and the Red Lady. It flowed over the raging couple for a heartbeat before they were taken completely by it. It continued to flow through the ship, out of the ship, and out into the vastness of space…

Thanos felt his anger rise as he turned his attention to the dying Asgardian, moving over to grab a fierce looking spear from one of his Children, who stood nearby. “That was a mistake…”

Heimdall had looked over at Thor, his golden eyes filled with no regret, even as the Titan had lifted the spear and stabbed it through the heart of him…

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a blending of Infinity War and Endgame. This is the last part.
> 
> Also, a tree had fallen on my house and destroyed a good portion of it so I will be displaced for a bit, sorry to say. Updates will be few and far between as my family and I get ourselves situated with this new adventure in our lives. Just hang tight, I’ll update as soon as I can. I already have a couple of more chapters written; I will get them loaded in the coming week.


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